Puppy Eyes
by lilyvandersteen
Summary: Blaine teaches at Parsons, and is under a curse that turns him into a dog every once in a while. He lives with Trent, who's been looking after him in his dog phases for years. Now, though, Trent has met someone and is going on dates all the time, and the next time Blaine turns into a dog, Trent shrugs and contacts a dog walker agency. Guess who's sent to look after Blaine?
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Am I really starting another story when I have so many others yet to finish? Yes. Yes, I am. And yes, I'm the worst. But hey, trying to stick to my existing WIPs didn't work - I didn't get anything written for weeks. So I'm hoping this shiny new toy of mine will make my creative juices flow for my other WIPs as well... Anyway, enjoy this crazy new adventure: werepuppy Blaine :-)

Prologue: The Curse

Blaine gaped at Alexei, honestly stunned. "You… You thought we were dating?"

Alexei's eyes flashed. "You think it's just me? EVERYONE here thinks you and I are dating! We spend all our evenings and all our weekends together. We share meals and coffee breaks and study sessions, and anytime we go out, it's just you and me. You take me to the theatre, to the cinema, to the mall to go shopping. We hug. We cuddle. We hold hands while watching romantic movies on television. So yes, I thought you and I were boyfriends. That you were just… taking things really slowly. And I wanted to respect that."

Blaine realised his mouth was still hanging open, and closed it with a snap. "I… Wow! I just wanted to be a good roommate. Teach you about all things American. Make sure you had someone to talk to when you were missing home."

Alexei glared at him. "So I was your charity case? Aw, the poor exchange student from Russia must be so lonely far away from his family, so I better make friends with him so that he at least has someone. That's why you kept pursuing me? This keeps getting better and better!"

Blaine took a step back and threw his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you, I swear. Or… Or lead you on… To my mind, we were just friends."

Alexei's scowl deepened. "Just friends? I heard that American boys were stupid, but you must be the worst of them all! Look what I just gave you! I got you chocolates. For Valentine's. Is that something you do for a friend?"

Blaine's eyes went wide. "You got those for me? I thought they were a gift from someone else and you were just sharing them with me."

Alexei's jaw worked, and his hands clenched and unclenched. "I can't tell if you're being so obtuse on purpose, or if you really are this dense. Either way, you made me waste more than a semester on you without even getting laid once for my efforts. Without even getting a kiss! You will PAY for this."

Blaine, remembering his sophomore year, moved into a defensive position, ready to block any blows that came his way. What he didn't expect was a dark chuckle and then a full-bellied laugh from Alexei.

"Did you think you'd get off with a black eye? Really? I am Alexei Mikhailovich Zakharov. Direct descendant of Andrei Nikolaevich Zakharov. Do you have any idea how powerful my family is? We could kill the whole world population if we wanted to!"

Blaine took a step backwards, his heart starting to race and his breath coming too fast in his panic.

"Oh, no, you're not running away," Alexei declared, and Blaine felt something akin to a thin rope wind itself around him, white-hot and tight.

Alexei came closer and tilted Blaine's chin up with his finger. "What shall I do with you? You're cute, but you're dumb. So dumb. Everyone could tell I was into you. Except you, it seems. You take me on date after date, dressing in your tightest pants, batting your eyes at me and smiling as if I make your day by just existing. And then when I finally make a move, you say you just want to be friends. You are such a… What do you call that here in America? Ah yes, a prick tease!"

Blaine couldn't move, couldn't speak. All he could was look at Alexei in horror, and try to regulate his breathing so that he wouldn't pass out.

"And now you're looking at me like an innocent young puppy who has no idea what he's done wrong."

Alexei tsk'ed disapprovingly, and was about to continue his rant when something occurred to him that made him cock his head to the right and taking Blaine in with a considering eye. His mouth curved into lopsided smirk.

"Yes, that's it. A puppy. That's what you are. All right. You better be grateful I still have a soft spot for you, Blaine, or else your punishment would have been a lot worse."

Alexei started chanting, and moving his hands in an intricate dance. It was mesmerising to watch, and so hypnotising it made Blaine's eyes droop.

And then Blaine felt his skin prickle and shrink. His balance was thrown off so that he landed on his hands and knees, and his jaw suddenly felt too big to fit into his mouth, and his nose was… wet? Was he bleeding?

Blaine whimpered, still rooted to the spot, and so, so scared by now. What was Alexei doing to him? And why was his roommate three times as tall as him all of a sudden?

And then the invisible rope that bound him was gone, and he found that he could move again. Could he speak, too?

He opened his mouth to ask what Alexei had done, but what came out was a wuff.

"Nice doggie," Alexei smirked, bending his knees and patting him on the head.

Blaine stiffened. No… It couldn't be! Surely… Surely his crazy roommate hadn't turned him into a DOG?

He ran to the full-length mirror on the bathroom door, and let out a long whine when he didn't see himself as a boy but as a shaggy black dog.

No, no, no, this couldn't be happening!

He heard someone laughing behind him. Alexei seemed to find his distress amusing.

"Don't worry, doggie! You're not going to be like this forever."

That made Blaine perk up his ears. He wasn't? He'd become human again?

"I made it so that this curse, whenever it kicks in, will only turn you into a dog for a week. Then you go back to normal."

Blaine felt himself sag in relief, but Alexei wasn't done talking.

"You're going to turn into a dog each time that I think of you and get angry again at how you treated me. You're never going to know when it will hit you, or how often, or for how many years. You better hope that I fall in love with someone else soon, and that I am so happy I never need to think of you again."

Alexei turned away from Blaine, opening the door to leave their room, but bumping into Trent, who had his hand raised as if about to knock.

"Hey Alex! Is Blaine here? We need to work on our project for English lit."

Alexei shrugged. "Not my problem."

Trent watched Alexei walk away and closed the door, locking it for good measure. Then he crouched down and whispered, "Blaine, where are you? I heard everything, oh my GOD!"

Blaine, who'd hidden himself under his bed, whimpered quietly, and in an instant, Trent was there, lifting the bedspread and coaxing him out of his hiding place.

"Oh, BLAINE! We need to get you to your mom's… You can't stay here like this!"

It took some more persuading from Trent before Blaine agreed to follow him to the parking lot, and was buckled into the shotgun seat of Trent's car to be taken to his mom.

Pam didn't want to believe Trent at first, telling him she had no time for his silly pranks, and why was he pulling this April Fool's stuff in the middle of February, anyway?

Then Blaine trotted to the fridge and, with some difficulty, arranged the letter magnets on it to read ITS ME BLANE.

Pam threw her hands over her mouth in shock.

It took another few minutes before she spoke. When she did, it came out faltering. "You… Blaine, is it really you?"

Blaine ran to her and wuffed a yes, nodding his head for good measure.

Pam sank into a chair, holding her heart, and then listened to Trent as he told her what he'd heard. He hadn't arrived in time to learn why Alexei had done this to Blaine, but he knew that Blaine would only be a dog for a week. And that the curse could hit him again.

"Sort of like a werewolf, I guess, only without the full moon. It can happen at any time."

Pam looked overwhelmed for a moment, but then she nodded and said to Trent, "We'll need to put our thinking caps on and make plans. If this happens again, we need to be prepared."


	2. Chapter 1: A New Client

Author's Note:

I'll try to update this story every Monday. If one day, I don't, I haven't forgotten - I just haven't had the time to finish the chapter, and you can be sure I will post it asap.

Shout-out to my wonderful beta hkvoyage : thank you for following me on this new and crazy adventure! I'm so grateful for your feedback and insights

Chapter 1: A New Client

Though Kurt hadn't gotten into NYADA, he was pretty pleased with his life right now. He'd scored an internship at Vogue, and he'd gotten into Parsons, where he was studying fashion design. He'd quit working at the Starlight Diner to become a dog walker, which paid a lot more, counted as exercise and could be combined perfectly with his studies.

The only downside was that his days started really early. He had to pick up his first doggy client at 5.30 a.m., and he'd never been a morning person. Still, he was used to Rachel's early morning hours by now. Like clockwork, she woke him up at five with her vocal exercises . At first, he'd wanted to strangle her, but now her fanatic regime came in handy to get him up and running at such an early hour.

He'd discovered dog walking when Neil, his partner for a design project, had come down with the flu, and had moaned on the phone that he was letting everyone down.

"Don't worry about me," Kurt had answered. "I'll copy my class notes for you and I'll work on the design by myself for now, and then we can develop it further when you're feeling better."

"You're an angel," Neil had sighed. "Now I only wish all the dogs I'm supposed to be walking today could walk themselves for a change. I really can't get up, my legs feel like cooked noodles."

"Wow. How many dogs do you have?"

Neil had chuckled and then coughed his head off. "They're not my dogs, I'm just walking them. It's how I make the rent. Dog owners here in NYC don't want to take their darlings to the park three times a day. And God forbid they'd have to clean up after their precious Fifi! So they hire me for that. It pays really well."

Kurt had hummed in understanding. "Hey, do you want me to walk your doggy clients for now? I'm good with dogs, I promise."

Neil had thanked him again and given him the number of the dog walker agency, and after taking over Neil's duties for a week to everyone's satisfaction, Kurt had been given his own clients.

Today, a new one had been added to the roster.

"Just for a week," Sheila had said. "His name's Devon, and he's a Portuguese water dog. You're to pick him up at six in the morning, then at twelve, and then at six again. Will that work for you? The owner paid for one-hour walks, and asked to not just walk with the dog but also run and play fetch with him. Apparently, he's very energetic, and if he doesn't get enough exercise, he chews up everything in the apartment."

Kurt had jotted the details down in his planner app, rejoicing that it was three times in one day, as well as an early bird assignment. Any walks before 8 a.m. were paid double, and before 6 a.m. even triple, so he was always glad to get those.

Kurt got up reluctantly as soon as Rachel's voice broke through his dreams. He filled a thermos with coffee, grabbed his packed breakfast and lunch from the fridge and put on his dog-walking outfit: old jeans, a warm flannel shirt and a navy parka that repelled not only water but doggy paw prints as well.

His high school self would have been appalled at his outfit choices, but Kurt had learned that practicality trumped fashion-forwardness when dealing with dogs and dirty subway trains. Anyway, at Parsons, the bar was raised so impossibly high that people looked down on him even when he wore his most fashionable outfits. A vintage McQueen shirt paired with a Marc Jacobs vest and matching pants from last season did not impress anyone. Nor did his collection of scarves and brooches. Why bother, then? The few friends he had dressed casually, like he did. And in a few years, he'd be a designer in his own right. He could go back to dressing fabulously then.

Kurt took the subway train to Lower Manhattan, eating his breakfast on the way. His first assignment was a dog that had to be walked alone. Precious was docile and sweet, but did not react well to other dogs or other people, so her walks were kept short and were scheduled early in the morning and late at night, when the streets and the park were deserted.

After bringing Precious back, he hopped on the train to the Upper East Side, where he picked up Titus, and after him Snowball and Summer.

When he arrived at the new address, the man who opened the door blinked in sleepy confusion at Kurt and the three dogs he had with him, and let out a loud sneeze when Summer started to scratch behind her ear.

Kurt introduced himself and announced that he was there to take Devon for his walk.

The man sneezed again, rubbed his eyes, blew his nose, and then called over his shoulder, "Sweetcheeks, did you order a dog walker?"

"Shoot, I forgot about that," was the answer, and a minute later, another guy hurried towards them with a black dog following him, and then overtaking him to race to Kurt and the other dogs. He came to a stop right in front of Kurt, sniffing at him and then sitting on his haunches and looking up at Kurt with a serious expression.

Kurt grinned at the dog. "I take it you are Devon, then? You ready to go out, champ? I'll have to put you on a leash, I'm afraid. You want to smell my fingers first before I touch you?"

Kurt offered his hand for Devon to sniff, and then turned it over to softly rub the dog's cheek. "What do you say? Ready to come with me on an adventure?"

Devon wuffed softly, and wagged his tail.

"I'll take that as a yes!"

Kurt got another leash out of his backpack and quickly attached it to Devon's collar. "Well, I'll be back in about an hour, then. Bye!"

"Wait!" said the second guy. "Here's the spare key. Could you, maybe, let Devon back in after your walk without ringing the bell so we can sleep some more? You'll also need the key at noon. We'll be out."

Kurt took the key and rummaged in his backpack for a permanent marker to write 'Devon' on it. Once it was on his key ring, he said "Bye!" again, and took the four dogs out of the building and two blocks away to Central Park.

Snowball, as usual, strained at his leash in his eagerness to get there, his enthusiasm so contagious that even Titus sped up. Soon, Kurt was running to keep up, and it made him chuckle. Devon, the new addition to their party, seemed to fit in well with the group, and was clearly well-trained. When Kurt commanded his charges to stop and wait to cross the street until the walk signal went on, Devon promptly sat down and waited, while the others needed to be told firmly to stop and sit at least twice more before they obeyed.

In the park, Kurt took their leashes off and let them run free for a bit, while he looked for a nice stick to play fetch with. He had a few tennis balls in his backpack, as well as a Frisbee, but he didn't know what Devon would prefer.

When he'd found a stick that would do, he let out a loud whistle to call the dogs to him. They bounded up to him with their tails wagging madly.

"Wanna play fetch? You wanna?"

Their wriggling butts showed quite clearly that yes, they wanted to play. Kurt threw two of the tennis balls in quick succession, and Snowball chased after them, barking, followed by the others. Snowball found one of the balls and brought it back to Kurt, leaving the others to squabble over the second tennis ball. Summer won that battle, and triumphantly presented her prize to Kurt, who rewarded both Snowball and Summer with an ear-rub and a dog treat.

Devon eyed the stick at Kurt's feet and tugged at it with his teeth, growling.

Kurt laughed. "You want to catch that? All right then, let go and I'll throw it!"

Kurt threw the stick, and after it both tennis balls. This time, Devon beat the others and came back with the stick, which he dropped in front of Kurt's feet. Kurt praised him, scratching gently behind his ears and offering him a treat, doing the same to the others when they brought back the tennis balls. Titus came behind, sulking. He was the slowest of Kurt's morning clients, and rarely joined in the fun and games, preferring to stick to Kurt instead to get petted, because he was always outrun anyway.

"Aww, Titus, it's not fair that your legs are so much shorter than theirs, is it? Come here, boy."

Kurt lavished attention on Titus, too, and then let the Frisbee soar. Immediately, Devon jumped after it, his body bent in a graceful arc and going higher than Kurt would have believed possible. The Portie caught the Frisbee mid-air, and proudly presented it to Kurt.

After some more throwing and fetching, Kurt put the dogs' leashes on again and walked further into the park. "Well, lady and gents, you know the drill. Make sure you pee and poo before I take you back home."

A vigorous walk later, all the dogs' business done, scooped up and discarded, Kurt dropped them off at their respective owners, and went to pick up the next lot for their walk.

By the time he arrived at school, he was hungry again, so as soon as he'd slipped into one of the back rows of the auditorium for his History of Fashion lecture, he grabbed a banana and a granola bar from his backpack and devoured them in mere seconds.

His phone pinged with a reminder that he had a second class that day. For the spring semester, he'd enrolled in an extra class, paid for by Vogue, no less. Isabelle had entrusted the accessory section of the Vogue website to him, and now he needed to brush up on his graphic design skills to make that part of the website look good.

He was really looking forward to these lessons. There were two instructors who co-taught this class, alternating weeks, and both of them had an excellent reputation. One of them was Paula Scher, a big name artist in her fifties, who wore long flowing dresses, long flowing hair and clunky glasses. The other was Blaine Anderson, a very young guy who'd won a prestigious prize when he was barely twenty, but instead of capitalising on that to make his fortune, he'd chosen to teach.

Elliott had taken Professor Anderson's Colour Theory class last semester, and raved over the guy's talent… and his looks. Apparently, he was hot, and he had "the finest ass on the planet".

Kurt had rolled his eyes at that, and quipped, "You dare to say that while I'm right here in front of you?", jokingly grinding his ass against Elliott. But it had made him curious all the same. He hoped that he'd get to check out the hot professor today.

As soon as he came into the classroom, his hopes were dashed, however. Professor Scher stood at the whiteboard, smiling at everyone who came in and using the mouse pad on her laptop to start up a slideshow.

The exercises she made them do were interesting and funny, and the time flew by. Class ran over a little, and Kurt had to hurry to get to Devon's apartment in time for his midday walk. As soon as he opened the door, Devon was there, his tail wagging like mad and his tongue hanging out in a doggie smile.

"You ready for your walk? Let's go!"


	3. Chapter 2: The Dog Walker

Author's Note: Blaine's point of view again, and you'll get some more information about the curse and how Blaine deals with it.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta VoyageAsia/HKVoyage!

Chapter 2: The Dog Walker

 _New York, November 2011 - January 2012_

Blaine closed the front door with a weary sigh and took off his coat and shoes. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and headed to the living room.

"Hey Trent, I'm…"

Blaine's voice trailed off when he heard people laughing and talking in a low voice. It came from the direction of the sofa. The TV wasn't on, so that meant that Trent was entertaining. Did he have friends over?

Blaine hesitated for a moment. Should he go to his bedroom and wait until Trent's guests were gone? Or should he go say hello and offer them something to drink? Yes, that was probably the polite thing to do.

His mind made up, Blaine walked over to the sofa, mentally preparing himself for polite conversation with at least one stranger.

He froze when he saw Trent spread out on his back with another guy lying on top of him, Trent's hands in the guy's hair, their lips now fused and their hips moving rhythmically.

Luckily, they both had their eyes closed and they weren't paying attention to their surroundings at all, so Blaine backed away and out of the room without making a sound.

Half an hour later, he heard footsteps approach the kitchen, and turned away from the sauce he was stirring with a welcoming smile. "Hey!"

"Blaine, you're home!" Trent said. "I didn't hear you come in."

Blaine shrugged.

"This is Ashton," Trent continued. "He's a colleague of mine. And uhm… He asked me out two weeks ago. So now we're boyfriends."

Trent blushed, and Ashton slung an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek.

Blaine beamed and held out his hand to shake. "It's great to meet you! And I'm so happy for you both. Will you stay for dinner, Ashton? There's more than enough to go around."

Ashton accepted eagerly, and praised the meal Blaine had made to the high heavens.

"I told you Blaine was an excellent cook," Trent said. "Why else would I have stayed with him for so long?"

Blaine pouted. "Because I'm your best friend and you love me?"

Ashton laughed. "Aww, look at those puppy eyes! You've hurt his feelings, hon!"

K&B

Ashton was a great guy, and Blaine was glad to see that he stuck around, and that he made Trent very happy.

Of course, it meant that more and more often, Blaine came home to an empty apartment, or to sounds and sights that made him flee to his bedroom or to the kitchen, but that was a small price to pay for Trent floating on air day in day out. Trent deserved this. He'd been single for way too long.

Blaine and Ashton got along well, though Ashton sometimes raised his eyebrows when Blaine moved in to cuddle Trent on the sofa, or called him by a pet name.

Ashton never said anything, though, except that one time Blaine came home with a box of artisanally made caramels because Trent had mentioned loving them and not having had any in ages.

"Are you… like… making a move on my boyfriend?" Ashton asked.

Blaine, who'd been watching Trent enjoy his caramels with an indulgent grin, whipped his head around to look at Ashton, shocked. "What? No! I like spoiling him from time to time, that's all. I've always done that."

Trent hummed in assent, and helped himself to another caramel.

"So you're not… like… crushing on Trent and, like, trying to one-up me?"

Blaine's brow furrowed. "One-up you?"

Trent laughed. "Aww, Ash, sweetie, no… If Blaine were into me, he'd serenade me with an inappropriate song at my workplace."

"I did that only once," Blaine pouted. "And you promised you'd never bring it up again!"

Trent giggled. "I promised no such thing."

"I sense a good story here," Ashton smiled.

"Oh, just you wait!" Trent said. "That was when we were sophomores in high school, right, Blaine? And there was this older guy that Blaine was into, you know. His name was Jeremiah. And he worked at the Gap."

Blaine sighed. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

He slinked away to the kitchen, laughter following him, and thought, not for the first time, that this dog curse he was under was actually a blessing if it kept him from behaving like an idiot around anyone he remotely liked. He might not like only having his right hand for company, but it sure beat making a fool of himself again, first with Jeremiah, by imagining a connection where there was actually none, and then with Alexei, by accidentally leading him on. He was just no good at romance. He did the world a favour by staying single, really.

Now that it had been over eleven years since Alexei cursed him, Blaine's doggy episodes were far and between, only occurring once every two months at most. Of course, they still came as an unwelcome surprise. Once he could feel the transformation starting, he had little more than a minute to run away and hide, so wherever he went, he checked the venue for restrooms and other useful hiding places, and made sure he always stayed near them.

The last time it had happened, Blaine had been at a vernissage at Trent's gallery, and he'd made it to the janitor's closet in the nick of time for his clothes to shed and him to change into a dog.

He'd been talking to a colleague of Trent's at the time, who was hitting on him so blatantly that Blaine felt the need to tell her gently that he was gay. Of course, now she'd think he'd rudely run away from her because she came on too strong, but that couldn't be helped.

The transformation back was even more mortifying. When he changed into a dog, his human clothes fell off him, so that meant he was buck-naked any time he turned human again. That was bad enough when it happened indoors and it was Trent or Pam who witnessed him transform, but one time he'd transformed back into a human right smack in the middle of the park where Trent had taken him for his morning walk. Luckily, it was early in the morning, and there weren't many people out and about, only a homeless man who leered at him and an old lady tutting at him and telling him that if he kept using drugs, he'd end up dying before his time. It could have been worse, but it still took Blaine weeks to get over the incident. He'd been asleep when he became a dog that time, so he'd had no idea when the actual transformation had taken place.

Blaine supposed it could have been worse, though, all in all. All those years ago, Pam and Trent had devised a pretty water-proof system to deal with his curse.

Blaine always wore a pendant with a personal alarm button around his neck. Whenever he transformed, it was easy enough for him to find the pendant in the heap of clothes surrounding him and activate the alarm with his paw.

Then Trent and Pam's phones would start to buzz and a message would pop up on their phone, and Trent would come and help him as fast as he could, bringing the collar with the contact details under which Blaine was registered as a dog.

Pam would check in with Trent later that day or the next morning, just to make sure Blaine had been found and everything was okay. And it always was.

Blaine was SO lucky that Trent had heard Alexei curse him that day. He was such a great and dependable friend, and Blaine probably owed him about a million favours by now, but all Trent asked was for Blaine to cook and do his share of the other household chores.

Of course, Blaine did try to make it up to Trent, somehow. Whenever Trent had a craving for a certain food, Blaine went out of his way to make or buy it for him. Whatever programme Trent wanted to watch on the television, they watched, without a murmur of protest from Blaine. Wherever Trent wanted to go on vacation in summer, they went. Any time Trent wanted a back rub or foot rub, he got one. And Blaine kept a list on his phone with all the stuff Trent mentioned that he liked, year-round, so that he could get it for Trent's birthday, or for Christmas, or for any other occasion. It never felt like enough, but he did what he could to show his appreciation for Trent's help.

K&B

The evening before the start of the spring semester, Blaine was sitting at his desk at home, going over his lesson preparations, when he felt the tell-tale signs of another dog spell coming on. He cursed under his breath as he realised that Ashton was staying over for the whole weekend.

 _I hope he won't find out…_

Blaine rushed to his ensuite bathroom to pee, so that he could spare Trent a late-night walk. Then he waited, sitting on the bathroom floor, until he'd become a dog, and pushed the alarm button.

Moments later, a very grumpy Trent, dressed only in his boxers, stomped into his room. "Ugh, this is SO not a good time! Where are you, Blaine?"

Blaine wuffed softly.

"Right. Do you need a walk before bed?"

Blaine shook his head.

"Do you need something else?"

Blaine padded to his desk, jumped onto the desk chair and pointed to his laptop.

Trent squinted at it. "Huh. You have class tomorrow. Okay. I'll send an e-mail to Paula."

Trent composed a quick e-mail telling Paula that Blaine would be indisposed for a week, and could she please fill in for him? He looked at Blaine for confirmation, and Blaine nodded.

Trent sent the e-mail, but didn't turn off the laptop yet. Instead, he Googled dog walker agencies, and called one to set up a week's worth of appointments.

"Where's your credit card?" Trent hissed at Blaine, who ran to the bathroom and came back with his wallet in his mouth. Trent fished the credit card out of it and used it to pay for the dog walking services.

As soon as Trent was off the phone, he saw how shocked and wounded Blaine looked. He shrugged. "You know Ashton's going to find out about you if I have to spend the next seven days looking after you morning, noon and night. Stay in your room until I come and fetch you for your walk tomorrow morning, okay? I'll bring you the dog food from the pantry, and your food and drink bowls as well."

When Trent came back with the food and the bowls, Blaine let out a soft whine.

"Oh, don't go all drama queen on me," scoffed Trent, now putting Blaine's collar around his neck. "You have everything you could possibly need. I'm going back to my boyfriend now. Do NOT disturb us again."

K&B

The following morning, Blaine's bladder woke him up, and he hoped that the dog walker was on their way already, and that Trent would come and fetch him any minute now.

The only sound he could hear from Trent's room, though, was snoring, so Blaine paced his room and tried to think of anything, anything else, but that became increasingly harder, and he couldn't help whimpering a little.

And then the doorbell rang. The dog walker! Blaine wanted to run to the front door, but Trent had asked him to wait in his room, so he stayed put.

He heard stumbling in Trent's room, and then Ashton saying, "I'll get it."

Blaine froze.

Uh-oh… Why didn't Trent push Ashton back into bed and tell him he'd deal with it? How was Trent going to explain the dog walker? How was he going to explain Blaine's alter ego?

And now Blaine could hear the dog walker introduce herself in a clear soprano voice. Kurt? That was a weird name for a girl…

Ashton had a sneezing fit, and then called for Trent.

Yes, where WAS Trent?

The next thing Blaine knew, the door to his room flew open, and Trent hissed, "Come!"

Blaine followed him, and then outran him in his eagerness to get outside and finally be able to pee. He stopped short when he saw that the dog walker was in no way or shape a girl. It was a guy, and he looked like he came straight out of Blaine's fantasies: tall and pale and beautiful as an elf, with wide shoulders and a jawline for days. And the way he smelled… Blaine's nose twitched in his eagerness to get another whiff of that delightful scent, and then another. Then he got himself under control and sat down in front of… what was his name again? Oh yes, Kurt!

Kurt introduced himself to Blaine in a way his dog self more than approved of, and attached a leash to his collar, but when Blaine wanted to sprint down the hallway to get outside, Trent stopped him with a "Wait!"

Blaine froze and turned his head around, but Trent was looking at Kurt, and handing him a spare key to the apartment.

 _What? You don't know this guy at all! Why are you giving him a key to our apartment?_

Kurt took it in stride. Apparently, he was very used to this sort of thing. His key ring was chock-full of keys, names scribbled on nearly all of them. How many dogs did this guy walk?

It wasn't until they were all in the park, their leashes off, that Blaine payed attention to the other dogs Kurt had brought with him. A snow husky, a golden retriever and a bichon frise. They seemed friendly enough. The husky had moved in to smell Blaine's butt as soon as Kurt had attached the leash to his collar, and the two others had crowded in to catch a whiff, too. Then, on the way to the park, the husky had challenged Blaine to a race, and he'd been more than happy to oblige, glad for any excuse to stretch his legs.

Now, the bichon frise bumped its nose against Blaine's and then let out a series of high yips. Blaine responded by rubbing their noses together again and then play-bowing with his legs in front of him. The golden retriever copied him and pawed at him gently.

The husky raced around the three of them, barking loudly and sniffing at everything and anything.

And then Kurt summoned them to play fetch, and Blaine couldn't remember ever having had such a good time, racing the husky, playfully fighting with the retriever for one of the tennis balls Kurt threw, and then showing off by catching a Frisbee mid-air.

Once Blaine got over the nuisance of his planning being disturbed, he always enjoyed being a dog for a week. Dogs led such a simple and rewarding life. Not much to worry about except getting your belly full, running around and playing, and getting cuddles from every dog-loving person that crossed your path. It was more relaxing and reinvigorating than a beach vacation.

And now that he got to play with three other dogs, it was three times as much fun. Trent should have contacted a dog walker for him long before now. This was amazing!

Kurt gave good rubs, too, seeming to know instinctively what spots Blaine favoured. Trent only rarely petted Blaine when he was a dog. He said it felt too weird. So now that Blaine was being looked after by someone who didn't know him, he took full advantage of that to get as much petting as he wanted.

When Kurt dropped him off at the apartment again, Blaine was in an excellent mood. As he trotted into the living room, though, he saw a human thundercloud.

He tilted his head to the side and wuffed softly, meaning, "What's the matter?"

Trent glared at him. "Ashton's gone back to his own place."

Blaine wuffed again in understanding. Trent was so gone on Ashton that he missed him as soon as he was out the door these days, though he usually wasn't that grumpy about it.

"I'll be off for work soon. Do you still have water?"

Blaine shook his head.

"I'll come fill up your bowl, then. The dog walker will come by at noon and at six. I'll pop in after work to make sure you have food and water, and then I'll go sleep at Ashton's."

Blaine whined, not liking the prospect of being all alone for the night.

"You'll be fine," Trent said. "I booked you the longest walks I could sign up for, and three walks a day is plenty. You'll have enough to eat and to drink, and if you get bored, you can binge-watch your favourite shows with your own special controller."

That made Blaine cheer up a little. He'd been meaning to watch Downton Abbey, but hadn't gotten round to it yet. Binge-watching sounded like a great idea, and he followed Trent to his room to get the Wagg controller for the television.

"You still have your alarm button, don't you?" Trent asked, and Blaine jumped onto his bed to show Trent it was on his pillow.

"All right, then." Trent sighed, and he shuffled back to the kitchen to drink some more coffee before heading to work.

K&B

The dog spell flew by faster than any of the previous ones ever had. Trent only dropped in twice a day to give Blaine food and water, choosing to stay at Ashton's place, but thanks to Kurt and Blaine's three dog companions, Blaine got all the exercise and affection he could wish for. In between the walks, he binge-watched Downton Abbey and took naps in the afternoon.

On Sunday evening, when Kurt dropped him off at the apartment after his last walk and squatted down to take his leash off, Blaine leaned against Kurt and put his head on Kurt's knee.

"Aww, you want some more cuddles, boy?" Kurt cooed, and rubbed Blaine under his chin, moving to his neck next. Blaine closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh.

"I'm going to miss you," Kurt confided to him. "You're such a ray of sunshine. You never seem to be in a bad mood at all. Always happy, always affectionate. Such a good boy."

Kurt straightened up with a sigh. "Well, bye, Devon. I hope your owner hires me again soon."

He left the apartment and closed the door with a soft click.

Blaine sat there staring at it for a good long while before he trotted back to his room, and when he turned back into a human later that evening, he wasn't as glad about it as he usually was.

He told himself that was because he didn't want to deal with all the work that had piled up during this week's absence, nor with the questions Ashton was bound to have. But when he got into bed, after changing the bedding and vacuuming everything thoroughly, Kurt's face swam in front of him as soon as he closed his eyes.

 _I'll miss him too._


	4. Chapter 3: The Design Contest

Author's Note: Thank you so much for your reviews - I'm so glad you're enjoying this story and very grateful you're taking the time to tell me so! This chapter is once again from Kurt's point of view. Enjoy!

As always, my gratitude goes out to my wonderful beta VoyageAsia/hkvoyage, for enhancing this story with her feedback.

Chapter 3: The Design Contest

 _New York, January to April 2012_

Though it had nothing to do with his major, the graphic design class quickly became Kurt's favourite. Professor Scher was quirky and fun, and her teaching was refreshingly out-of-the-box. Professor Anderson, who was just as gorgeous as Elliott had promised, had such a clear way of explaining things and so much passion for his subject that his students progressed at a rapid pace.

The teaching was very hands-on, too. From the very beginning, the students found themselves doing rather than listening, and putting your own spin on the techniques you learned was actively encouraged. That was just how Kurt liked it, so he thrived in these lessons, and was already considering taking another graphic design class the following semester.

Both Professor Scher and Professor Anderson were nothing but encouraging towards him, praising his aesthetic, bold colours and clean lines.

So when Kurt saw the announcement for a graphic design contest for students, he knew he wanted to take part in it, and he knew Professor Anderson had won one of these contests when he was a student himself. Therefore, it only made sense to go talk to his professor about it during his consulting hours.

His mind made up, Kurt went to Professor Anderson's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Kurt went in and smiled at the sight of Professor Anderson fiddling with paperclips and making a chain with them. "Good afternoon."

Professor Anderson dropped the paperclips abruptly and looked up. "Kurt!"

Kurt smiled wider. "I'm so impressed that you know all your students' names, Professor. I could name maybe ten of the students in my year, at best, and that's after spending a school year and a half with them."

Professor Anderson rubbed his neck and bit his lip, and stayed silent for a minute or so. Then he asked, "How may I help you, Kurt?"

Kurt slid the flyer about the contest in his direction, and the professor's eyes lit up. For a moment there, Kurt had a strong sense of déjà vu. Where had he seen eyes like that recently? The exact same shade, and glowing with excitement, too.

Kurt couldn't pinpoint it, and shook off the thought when the professor started to talk.

"Kurt, I'm really glad you're going to enter the competition. That's why I hung up the poster and put the flyers on the reception desk. I want my whole class to send in a design. You're a talented bunch. I have to tell you, though, that I can't give you any personal advice about your design, seeing as I'm in the jury for the contest."

That was news to Kurt. "Oh… Uhm, it wasn't advice about my design I wanted. I just need some general information about submitting an entry. It says here that only complete entries will be accepted, and that they want the design in the usual formats. So, what does that mean, exactly? Is there a list somewhere of everything they expect me to send in? And what formats do they want?"

Professor Anderson grinned. "Ah, there, I can help. Yes, the practical stuff is all kind of vague, isn't it? I was going to bring it up during class, and encourage you all to take part, but now that you're here anyway…"

Half an hour later, Kurt left the professor's office with his flyer all scribbled over and a spring in his step. He was going to do this. Yes, he knew he'd barely scratched the surface of all the graphic design techniques he could learn, but Professor Anderson hadn't said it was too early for him to compete, had he? Design was not about showing off your expertise, anyway. It was about having original ideas, eye-catching and thought-provoking, and executing them with attention to detail. And he could do that. No problem.

Kurt worked on the design for the contest for over a month, and asked both Isabelle and Elliott for their opinion before sending it in.

He'd consulted Professor Anderson every now and then about other practical details that occurred to him, and he didn't stop popping into his office after he'd submitted his entry for the contest. He just asked questions about his designs for the Vogue website instead. The professor always seemed jumpy whenever Kurt came by, but he was happy enough to help, and it only took a few minutes for Professor Anderson to relax and the two of them to be chatting like friends.

Kurt learnt that the professor was originally from Ohio, too, and when Kurt told him about being bullied every single day in high school, Professor Anderson nodded, his eyes sympathetic. "Me too. I had to transfer to a private school after I got beaten up at a school dance. I was in hospital for six weeks."

When Kurt broached the subject of his stepbrother Finn, who'd died at nineteen, the professor moved a hand as if to pat Kurt on the shoulder, but stopped just short of touching him. "I'm so sad to hear that. I have a brother, too, but I'm not very close to him. He's much older than I am, and he left Ohio when I wasn't even a teenager yet."

Kurt loved talking to Professor Anderson, and each time, he only reluctantly left the professor's office when his phone chimed with a reminder that he had dogs to walk.

K&B

Kurt had hoped that Devon's owner would hire him again someday, and he grinned happily when halfway March, Sheila let him know that Devon would be added to his roster for a week.

"Three walks a day again? Six, twelve and six, right?"

"That's it," said Sheila. "And play with him so he can work off his excess energy."

"Will do."

When Kurt arrived at Devon's apartment the next morning, Devon jumped on him as soon as he'd opened the door, his tail wagging so hard it seemed in danger of falling off. Kurt laughed and rubbed under the dog's chin. "Hey, Devon! Did you miss me, boy?"

He could have sworn Devon NODDED in reply.

Snowball, Summer and Titus seemed glad to have their fourth playmate with them again, and the lot of them were so rambunctious that Kurt arrived at school quite wiped out.

He decided to pay Professor Anderson a visit that afternoon, but his office was locked.

"Blaine won't be in this week," he heard behind him. He turned around and saw Professor Scher. She smiled at him. "If you need help, you'll have to make do with me, I'm afraid."

Before he could take a minute to digest this information, Kurt blurted out, "Oh… Is he ill?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," was the dry retort.

"Of course," said Kurt. "Well, if you don't mind helping me, I have a few questions. It's about using pictures in drop-down menus. I just can't get the aligning right, whatever I try. And it's driving me nuts."

Professor Scher smiled. "Come on in."

Twenty minutes later, Kurt left her office, now knowing exactly how to fix the problem, but his happy mood deflated as soon as his eyes fell on Professor Anderson's locked office, and that, in turn, made him curse under his breath.

 _Say it isn't so. How much more of a cliché could I be? In high school, I fell for a straight jock, and now I'm crushing on my teacher? Will I ever have feelings for someone who could actually love me back?_

"He'll be back next week," a soft voice assured him.

Kurt whipped his head around. It was Professor Scher again, her expression knowing and amused.

 _Oh, great. Now my other teacher knows about my crush. Let's hope she won't say anything to Professor Anderson._

"You're not the first student who keeps showing up for Blaine's consulting hours," the professor said, her eyes boring through him.

Kurt looked down, feeling his cheeks heat up and hating himself for it.

"But I have to say you're the first one he's ever encouraged to do so," Professor Scher continued.

 _Wait… What?_

Kurt snapped his head up again to see Professor Scher grinning at him.

"He clearly likes talking to you. If he didn't, you'd be leaving his office ten minutes after coming in. I've seen it happen before. He's always polite, but he gets rid of them so fast. But he lets you stay for hours. And he's in a great mood afterwards."

Kurt stared at the professor, not really knowing what to say.

"I have to tell you, though, that Parsons doesn't allow faculty members to date students," Professor Scher warned him. "So if something were to develop there, I'd advise the both of you to keep it on the down-low. All right?"

Kurt's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "We're not… I would never…"

Professor Scher held up a hand. "I'm not saying there's anything going on right now. I'm telling you just in case."

Kurt closed his mouth with a snap. "Oh. Okay."

Professor Scher nodded at him. "Good afternoon, Kurt. If you have any more design-related questions, you know you can always ask."

Kurt swallowed. "Thank you. Good afternoon, Professor."

K&B

The next week, Professor Anderson was back, looking healthy as a horse and radiating so much happiness that it seemed like he'd just had a week's vacation instead of sick leave.

Kurt chose to admire his professor's beautiful smile from afar, and left right after the lesson. Usually, he only ever paid attention to the teacher, but now that his eyes had been opened, he noticed the many other students who fawned over Professor Anderson and did all they could to catch his attention. It made him feel sick to his stomach, and for the first time in months, he didn't come up with a design question to ask the professor as an excuse to go to his office and talk to him. He just went home and worked on his school projects until his phone beeped for the next scheduled dog walk.

Kurt kept a low profile for the next few weeks, determined not to draw any more attention to his love-struck behaviour and to keep some distance in the hopes of reining in his crush.

Then, one Monday, as he was filing out of class with the other students, Professor Anderson stopped him in his tracks by saying, "Kurt, can I have a word with you, please?"

The girls around Kurt tittered and hung back, clearly wanting to hear what the professor had to say, but he shooed them off with a curt, "Just Kurt, please. Enjoy your afternoon, ladies."

That made them giggle even more, but they left the classroom.

Kurt glanced down and tugged at his thumb, waiting for the professor to speak. When that moment came, his voice was much closer than Kurt had been expecting, and when he looked up, there was Professor Anderson, his face near enough to Kurt for him to make out the green and gold flecks in his eyes, and his concerned expression.

"Are you okay, Kurt? You haven't really been yourself for weeks. You seem so sad. Is it your father? Is he doing worse? Has he had another health scare?"

Kurt shook his head, feeling a bit guilty now about cutting out the man he'd started to consider a friend.

"No, no! Dad is fine. It's just… Uhm… The week you were… away, your colleague…"

Professor Anderson squared his jaw. "Paula? Yes, she talked to me too. Made you feel uncomfortable, did she? Ugh. I swear she means well, but she shouldn't have meddled. I told her there was nothing untoward going on, and to stop butting in."

Kurt bit his lip.

Professor Anderson sighed. "Now you won't ever dare talk to me again, will you?"

Kurt fidgeted with his fingers. "I… I'd… never forgive myself… if you lost your job just for listening to me talk about... being bullied, or… losing my mom, or stuff like that. I mean… Professor Scher said... she'd noticed me being in your office… for hours. That's… I can understand she's suspicious. And… It's not worth it. Not worth ruining your reputation over. I should just… find myself a therapist. And talk to them about that stuff."

Professor Anderson hummed. "That's a good idea. But I want you to know that you can always talk to me, too. Don't worry about Paula. She wouldn't blab. And it's all above board anyway."

Kurt forced a smile, and after a hurried "Good afternoon", he left the classroom.

Yes, their conversations may have been above board, but Kurt still had a crush on Professor Anderson, and his colleague knew it. It didn't sit right with Kurt, so he'd continue to keep his distance. He could do this. He was used to unrequited crushes. He'd been dealing with them since middle school.

K&B

Mid-April, Kurt got an official-looking letter in the mail, inviting him to the award ceremony for the design contest, which was to take place the following Saturday. Apparently, he was shortlisted for the prize.

Kurt gaped at the letter for a minute, and then let out a triumphant yell that had Rachel dropping her cup of tea on the kitchen floor and racing towards him.

"Kurt, are you okay?"

Kurt shoved the letter under her nose, and soon, it fluttered to the floor while they were holding each other's hands and jumping up and down like excited toddlers.

"This is amazing!" Rachel said at last. "Is that why you've been away so often these past few weeks? 'Cause you were working on whatever you created for this contest?"

Kurt nodded. "Rach, will you come with me to the ceremony?"

"Of course! I'll even help you write your winner's speech if you want me too. I have lots of practice. I was only five when I started writing acceptance speeches for the Tony awards I knew I would win. Those first ones are very basic, of course, but by now, I've gotten it down to an art."

Kurt bit down a smile. "That… won't be necessary, Rach. But thank you."

The day of the ceremony, Kurt was very glad to have Rachel with him. The venue was very upscale, and though he was wearing a priceless tux borrowed from the Vogue vault, he felt out of place there. Rachel, on the other hand, was in her element, pointing out people she recognised from television and jabbering non-stop about the opportunities this would bring for Kurt even if he didn't win. "I'll be sure to talk you up to everyone. You deserve this!"

When the jury filed onto the stage, Kurt craned his neck to see Professor Anderson. Not only would he be a familiar face, Kurt was dying to see how the professor filled out a tux. Just… for scientific reasons, okay?

But Professor Anderson was nowhere to be seen, and when the announcer started the ceremony by listing the jury members' names, it was mentioned that the professor was unable to attend.

Kurt felt a pang of regret, but a few minutes later, he forgot all about that when he was announced the winner of the contest.

Rachel screamed so loud next to him that his ears rang, but that didn't stop Kurt from beaming and stepping onto the dais to accept the award with a word of thanks and pose for photographs.

The reception afterwards was a moment of triumph for Kurt, who was passed from one dignitary to the next. By the time he and Rachel were on the subway train back home, Kurt had received not only praise but also offers for paid internships and even an actual job offer, and he discussed each one with Rachel.

Rachel encouraged him to accept the job, but Kurt wasn't so sure that was the best idea. "I'm not majoring in graphic design. I've barely taken one class! I don't think I'm qualified to work as a graphic designer. I don't even know if that's what I want to do with my life. Anyway, I want to finish my education first. Get my degree. That firm that offered me a job, if they really want me, they can wait two years."

"Yes, but will they?" Rachel insisted. "You've won the prize now. And your design is going to be touring around in that exhibit now, and be featured in magazines now. You have to strike the iron while it's hot. Do you think they'll still want you when you're yesterday's news? No, they won't!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Rach… It's my life, not yours. Let me make my own decisions, please."

Rachel looked as though she wanted to argue, but Kurt mimed zipping his mouth shut, and she complied, though with bad grace, tapping her foot on the floor for the rest of the ride to let out her frustration.

As he was emptying his pockets that night, he checked his phone and saw two missed call notifications.

The first call was from his father, who'd left a message that he was very proud of Kurt and would be calling him the next day. Kurt had texted Burt that he'd won the prize, but had then been too swept up in the celebrations to check his phone or to even hear it ring.

The other call was from the dog walker agency, to add Devon to his schedule once again, for a week. That made Kurt grin, and with a satisfied sigh, he slipped into bed and nodded off as soon as his head hit the pillow.

That Monday, the graphic design class was taught by Professor Scher for the second week in a row. Was Professor Anderson ill again? Kurt shook off the thought. It was none of his business, anyway.

After class, Professor Scher congratulated Kurt on the prize he'd won. "I saw your design, and I have to say, I was BLOWN AWAY."

Kurt felt his cheeks heat up. "Thank you for the compliment, Professor."

The professor put a hand on his arm. "I know you're majoring in fashion design, but I'd advise you to take on graphic design as a minor. You've scored top marks in your midterms for this class, and I'm sure you'll do the same in your finals. You could do great as a graphic designer. You have real talent."

Kurt laughed. "I have a pretty full schedule as it is, Professor."

"Perhaps we could work something out," Professor Scher mused. "There's summer school, if you can stay in NYC for three weeks over the summer? That would be a three-credit course out of the way already. And then, I know you've been offered paid internships, and you could definitely get college credit for the hours you work there. I'd go with R/GA or AKQA. Those firms will look best on your resume, and you'll learn an awful lot there."

Kurt twisted his fingers. "I… I'll… think about it, Professor. Thank you. I'm sorry, I need to run, I have to get to work now."

Professor Scher waved him off. "Go walk your dogs. But think about it, and let me know soon."

Kurt discussed it with Isabelle that week, and she assured him that he could work fewer hours at or even take a break if necessary. "It's not like I'm paying you. That graphic design class is the first perk Vogue has ever given you."

"That, and the tux you lent me for the award ceremony."

"Oh, please," Isabelle scoffed. "You didn't even get to keep it!"

He talked to the dog walking agency too, and they said they could switch him from dog-walking to dog-sitting, which would have him stay at someone's place to look after their dog or dogs while they were away, for a week at the minimum and up to a few months. It would pay less than all the dog-walking he did now, but it would be less time-consuming, and he could save on rent, moving from place to place, and on transport costs, seeing as the addresses were all in the Upper East Side, close to Parsons. Right now, there was a lady looking for a dog-sitter for the entire month of June, so Kurt agreed to give it a try.

Rachel, too, proved nothing but supportive when he brought up the subject. "Don't worry about the rent, my dads will chip in. Or I'll find another roommate."

So he went to Parsons' academic counselling department to discuss adding a minor in Graphic Design to his schedule, with part of the credit coming from a paid internship, and another part from summer school. He knew it would mean several more classes with Professor Anderson. There would be no avoiding him. But he felt sure that he could get over this stupid crush, and focus on his studies instead.

K&B

That Saturday, at six, he unlocked the door to Devon's apartment, but unlike the previous times, Devon wasn't waiting for him there.

"Devon?"

Kurt whistled, but there was no eager dog running towards him, only an annoyed owner popping his head out of his bedroom door.

"Stop that racket!"

"I'm sorry, sir," Kurt apologised. "I'm here to pick up Devon for his evening walk."

"That won't be necessary," the guy said tersely.

"You're… going to walk your dog yourself?" Kurt asked.

"He's not my dog," the guy snapped. "He belongs to my roommate. Who happens to have this… condition that knocks him out for a week every now and then."

Kurt absorbed that new information. "But now he's better and he'll be taking Devon out himself?"

"All I can tell you is that your services are no longer needed."

Kurt, discomfited by the venom in the guy's voice, nodded mutely and closed the door to the apartment, hurrying out of the building.

What had he done wrong? He'd treated Devon like all the other dogs he cared for, and the Portie seemed happy and content. As requested, Kurt always made sure to give the dog enough exercise so that he wouldn't take out his boredom on the couch cushions or his owner's shoes. Why, then, had his assignment been terminated so abruptly?

Well, he had no time to ruminate further on the subject. He had three other dogs to pick up for their evening walk, and then four others after that.

It wasn't until Kurt was in the loft, he and Rachel sipping from the soup he'd made and eating a vegan brie baguette with it, that he thought to check his mail and his account on the agency's website. Surely, if there had been a complaint, he'd have gotten a message? But he hadn't. And when he logged into his account, his assignments hadn't changed, and he'd been paid in full for the week of walks he'd been scheduled to take with Devon. This was the last day of the week, of course, and it was the last scheduled walk, too, so Devon had only missed one walk, and maybe the agency hadn't been notified of it yet.

Kurt put it from his mind and focussed on his school projects again, getting so absorbed in them that the alarm he'd set to remind him of Precious' evening walk made him jump a foot in the air. Usually, he only took Precious out in the morning, and his colleague Terrance walked her at night, but Terrance had called in sick with a stomach bug, so Kurt had to take over the night walk. It would mess with his sleep schedule, that was for sure, but thankfully, since it was weekend, he could take an afternoon nap if necessary.

Kurt sighed and passed a hand over his eyes before getting up. He put his sketch book in his backpack to pass the time waiting for the subway train to arrive, checked if he still had dog treats, and walked to the subway station.

The tiny park he went to with Precious was shadowy and silent. He didn't notice the lone figure sitting on a bench until Precious started to tremble and whine, and press against Kurt's leg for comfort. Kurt bent his knees and rubbed her behind her ears.

"Aww, sweetie, please don't be scared. I'm here with you, I can deal with ghoulies and ghosties and anything else that goes bump in the night. I don't think that's a ghost, though. It looks like a man. And he's sad. Let's leave him alone and go back home."

Kurt threw a look back at the man on the bench, and did a double take when he recognised Professor Anderson. Did he live somewhere around here? And why did he look so devastated?

Just then, Professor Anderson looked up. When he saw Kurt, he sent him a feeble attempt at a smile and then hung his head again.

Kurt wanted to go talk to him and comfort him somehow, but Precious tugged at her leash, and he followed her. He'd be seeing the professor on Monday. If he still seemed sad, Kurt could talk to him then.


	5. Chapter 4: Enlightenment

**Author's Note:**

 **Blaine's point of view again, and as usual, he's being so oblivious that you will roll your eyes and sigh in exasperation.**

 **A heartfelt thank you to my wonderful beta VoyageAsia/hkvoyage for looking this chapter over for me and suggesting additional scenes :-)**

 **Have you noticed the new cover art for Puppy Eyes? Isn't is just perfect?! It was made for me by the lovely RoxyMusicAndLayers, and you can find a bigger version of it on Tumblr (I'm lilyvandersteen there, too).**

 **Clarification for the guest reviewer who was confused: Kurt knows Blaine as Professor Anderson. He doesn't know that Blaine is also Devon, the dog he looked after. And Blaine is scared that Kurt will somehow notice the similarities between Professor Anderson and Devon.**

Chapter 4: Enlightenment

 _New York, January to April 2012_

Ashton did have questions, of course, and Trent saw no other solution than to tell him the truth, once Blaine had turned human again, so they sat him down and explained about the curse Blaine was under. At first, Ashton laughed, but when he saw the both of them were serious as a heart attack, his grin disappeared.

"Really?"

Blaine sighed. "Yes, really."

"I thought you'd adopted a stray without telling Trent first."

Blaine shook his head. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"I'll say. Does this happen often?"

"About once every two months," Blaine said. "Sometimes there's less time in between, but usually I get a two-month reprieve."

Ashton nodded. "I see. Trent, babe, the second half of March, you're staying at my place. No offense, Blaine, but I don't deal well with dogs. You can arrange for a dog walker to come, right? Like last week? That worked out great, didn't it?"

Blaine agreed, and that was the last word Ashton said on the topic, switching instead to the upcoming exhibit at the gallery where he and Trent worked. Apparently, the artist featured was a pretentious jerk, and ran them all ragged because his work had to be presented just the way he envisioned it, only he kept changing his mind about the right presentation, and had them change this and that, cussing them all out royally for not 'getting it'.

Blaine sympathised with Trent and Ashton, and made them laugh by suggesting polite but cutting retorts for the next time the artist showed up at the gallery.

"I wish I could really tell him that," Trent giggled. "But I'd get fired for it. The client is king at our gallery. Or, dictator, in this case. We're supposed to nod and go along with everything he says. He better be worth it, though. If he doesn't sell at least half of the monstrosities he's made, he'll find that our gallery is booked solid next time he wants to exhibit his works."

"Even if he sells all of them, I don't want to see him ever again," Ashton said.

"If he's that much of a cash cow, you know Vernon is going to book him again," Trent sighed. "So let's hope he does only well enough for us to make a tiny profit, so that all that work won't have been for nothing. That bouillabaisse was great, Blaine. What's for dessert?"

K&B

Blaine strode into his classroom, greeting a few students he already knew, and setting everything up for his lesson. He was stoked to finally get started. He knew he could have made a lot more money as a designer for one of the big agencies, but he much preferred teaching his skills to a new set of students each year, and watching them blossom and grow.

He gave a short welcome speech and started up the slideshow he'd prepared, a general introduction to making logos. When he was all the way through explaining what a good logo should consist of, he took his grab bag and paired off the students for their assignment: creating a logo for a fictional company they'd receive a description of.

"Maizie Williams? This is your assignment. And you will be working with… Kurt Hummel."

"Over here," said a clear, high voice, and Blaine, who'd been reaching in his grab bag again, dropped the bag, and then bumped his head into his desk and lost his reading glasses when he crouched down to collect all the slips of paper that had fallen out.

"Are you okay?" Maizie asked, her hand on his arm.

Blaine smiled at her. "I'm fine, just clumsy."

He straightened up and accepted his reading glasses from another helpful student, almost dropping them again when he realised who it was, standing right in front of him. Kurt! He'd known when he heard his voice that it was him. The dog walker who'd taken care of him all week. What were the odds?

 _Please don't recognise me. Please don't recognise me!_

Blaine grabbed another slip of paper and continued to read out names, trying his hardest not to follow Kurt with his eyes, and managing to only stutter once when Kurt made eye contact with him during class.

Kurt didn't seem to recognise him at all, to his relief, and formed a good team with Maizie. The logo they came up with was excellent work for two beginners: understated but striking. Blaine told them so, and they both beamed and thanked him.

The pattern continued the following weeks. Whichever team Kurt was on produced the best work. Where the others were happy to stay close to the examples they'd been shown, Kurt took the general idea and technique and flipped it upside down. Made it his own. He was never scared to take risks, and that paid off. He produced content that belied his novice status and that even the biggest and best agencies would have been proud to claim as their own.

Paula noticed this, too, of course, and regularly popped into Blaine's office to show him the outstanding designs Kurt had made during her class weeks.

"Don't you have that contest coming up?" she asked. "Make sure Kurt submits an entry. He could win that thing! I want him to realise his potential and take this further. He's not studying graphic design, but I think he should. He's SO good. He could do great things. Maybe he's brilliant at designing clothes, too, but there's a lot more job opportunities in graphic design, especially for someone as talented as he is."

Blaine laughed. "Aren't you a bit biased? You just want him to keep coming to your classes, that's what this is all about!"

"Of course I'd love having him in my classes, but it's more than that," Paula huffed. "He has real talent. I would hate to see it go to waste."

So Blaine hung up a big poster for the design contest and put flyers everywhere, and a week later, he found that Kurt had taken the hint. Kurt came to his office during his consultation hours to discuss the contest, and as usual when Blaine was taken unawares by Kurt's presence, he dropped everything he was holding and behaved like a bumbling idiot until he got himself back under control.

Kurt decided to go for it and send in a design, so he regularly dropped in with questions he had. After a while, they started talking about other stuff, too. That had come about when Kurt had mentioned being from Ohio, and very glad to have escaped from that state. Well, they had that in common, and Blaine told him so. Before long, they were discussing getting bullied for being gay, and losing a parent, though Blaine had been an adult when his dad died, and had been anything but close to him.

Kurt was just so easy to talk to, and Blaine didn't think twice about having him in his office for hours, chatting about anything and everything under the sun.

It wasn't until another dog spell had come and gone that it dawned on him their closeness might be misinterpreted.

Paula brought it to his attention. "Your boy came to look for you last week. He was sad you weren't there."

"Uhm, what?" Blaine asked, frowning.

"Kurt," Paula clarified. "Came to see you during your consulting hours. I helped him out with the practical question he had, but he was so disappointed that he couldn't talk to you instead."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "What are you getting at, Paula? He's a student coming to me with graphic design questions. We sometimes talk about other stuff, too, but there is nothing inappropriate going on, I promise you."

Paula raised an eyebrow. "He's always in your study for hours, what am I supposed to think? You better stop with the long chats, or another admirer of yours will get jealous and report you."

Blaine squared his jaw. "Oh, for the love of… Paula, we're just TALKING. There's nothing wrong with that. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill, please."

"The boy is crazy about you," Paula said softly. "I'm pretty sure to him it means more than just talking."

"Wh… What?" Blaine spluttered. "Now you're reaching! We get along well, that's true, but we're friendly, nothing more."

Paula rolled her eyes. "For someone so intelligent, you sure are dumb when it comes to reading others. Kurt has been making moony eyes at you for weeks. How can you not notice that? He's beyond obvious about it, too. You should see his face light up whenever someone even mentions you! For now, the other students in our class don't mind his crush on you, because he gives off such pining vibes that it's clear nothing has happened between the two of you. But be careful. You don't want to break his heart, nor do you want to lose your job over this."

Blaine opened and closed his mouth a few times without any sound coming out. Paula patted him on the shoulder and walked away.

He looked after her with disbelief. Surely, she was overreacting. She must be. He was certain that Kurt liked talking to him because they shared the same background and had similar tastes. Nothing more than that. The rest was all in Paula's head. She was too imaginative by far.

Blaine chuckled when he thought about that guest speaker from the R/GA design agency Paula had once invited. What was his name again? Smith or something? Blaine had attended the lecture, and afterwards, the guy had walked straight up to him and started chatting, because he seemed to think that Blaine was the one teaching this class. Blaine had gently set him straight and brought him to Paula, but afterwards Paula had sworn up and down that the guy had been flirting with him. "It wasn't a mistake at all, Blaine. He was totally into you. I saw him checking out your ass!"

Blaine had scoffed at that. The guy was a head taller than he was, very handsome and well-dressed, oozing charm and old money, and working for one of the biggest design agencies in New York. Why would a guy like that be interested in a dowdy short teacher with glasses and a beard? The very idea was laughable.

Now, too, Blaine dismissed Paula's concerns without any further thought. She was fantasising again, he was sure, and if she ever brought up the subject again, he'd shut her down and tell her to mind her own business.

K&B

The following weeks, Kurt seemed off, somehow. Skittish, and sad. He didn't talk to anyone in class, he left the minute it was over, and though he paid attention and produced good work, his usual brilliance and spark were lacking. He didn't come by during Blaine's consultation hours, either, so Blaine had no idea what was going on, and he couldn't help but worry.

In the end, his concern won out over his determination not to pry, and after class, he asked Kurt to stay for a minute and asked him outright what was wrong. He'd thought maybe that Kurt's dad was doing worse again - he'd been diagnosed with cancer and was reacting well to treatment, last Blaine had heard, but he wasn't in remission yet. But he was thrown for a loop when it turned out that Paula had taken Kurt to task as well, making him feel guilty about talking to Blaine.

Blaine gritted his teeth and assured Kurt that he had nothing to worry about and hadn't done anything wrong, but it was plain to see that the damage was done. Kurt would barely look at him and rushed away as soon as Blaine had said his piece.

When he barged into Paula's office five minutes later to chew her out for making Kurt feel uncomfortable, she just looked up at him with a barely there smile. "Missing him already, are you?"

He glared at her and stomped back out of her office without saying another word.

More weeks passed, and Kurt stayed sad and silent, keeping his distance. Blaine hated it. Though he would never have admitted it to Paula, he did miss Kurt, and the easy rapport they'd had. They'd become low-key friends, and he missed his friend.

Yes, he had Trent at home, and Ashton now, too, and both of them were great company, but often they were so wrapped up in each other that Blaine felt like a third wheel. Also, their newly-in-love vibe threw Blaine's loneliness in stark relief, and made him feel it keenly.

Blaine had never minded being single much, because he had the companionship of Trent, who was in the same boat. Now, though, he realised that apart from Trent and Paula, he had no-one he was close to here in New York. The rest of his friends all lived far away, and the most contact he had with them was a Facebook message now and then. Maybe that's why he'd befriended Kurt?

He decided to talk to Kurt again at the award ceremony for the contest, but just when he was putting on his tux for the occasion, another dog spell hit him, and all he could do was push his alarm button and lie low until Trent arrived to help him.

Trent was there in ten minutes. He put the tux back into Blaine's closet and called the jury president to make Blaine's excuses. He contacted the dog walking agency too, and arranged a week's worth of walks again.

"I'll have to take you out myself tonight," Trent sighed. "The dog walker isn't available today."

So they went to their usual park, and Blaine made sure to do his business quickly.

Back home, Trent put the television on. "You want to watch the ceremony you're missing? Or will that bum you out even more?"

Blaine nodded, and hopped onto the sofa.

Trent brought him his Wagg remote and busied himself in the kitchen, doing the dishes, taking the trash out and setting out Blaine's food and water bowls.

As the jury members were stepping onto the dais, decked out in their finery, Trent came to sit next to Blaine on the sofa. "Blaine, I'm going over to Ashton's, okay? You've had your walk, you've got your remote and there's food and water for you in the kitchen, so you should be all set until tomorrow. I'll pop in before work to see how you're doing. If there's an emergency, use your button and I'll be right there."

Blaine knew the drill by now, and didn't protest when Trent got up and left. He glued his eyes to the television screen again, and saw Kurt make his way to the stage to accept his award, his expression radiant, and Blaine was so proud of him he could burst.

He hadn't seen Kurt this happy and glowing in a long while, and when he saw a girl in a hot pink dress bounce up to him and give him a long hug, whispering excitedly into his ear, he felt a fierce stab of envy. He wanted to be there, with Kurt, and congratulate him. And hug him too, yes. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?

The next morning, when Kurt came to fetch him for his walk, the urge to congratulate Kurt and show him how proud he was hadn't abated yet, so Blaine couldn't help jumping up on Kurt excitedly. That was as close as a hug as he could get, and when Kurt laughed and cooed and petted Blaine in all the right places, Blaine closed his eyes and felt happier than he had in weeks.

K&B

The week flew by in a blissful blur, and on Saturday, Blaine turned human again. He spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in his room catching up on his work, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to face Trent, taking off his headphones to listen to what his friend had to say. "Is it dinner time already? We'll have to order take out, I'm afraid. I haven't got the time to cook, 'cause I'm so far behind on everything. Just tell me what you're in the mood for, and I'll place the order right away."

Trent shook his head. "I don't care about dinner."

That made Blaine chuckle. "Since when do you not care about dinner, Mr Foodie?"

Trent's eyes flashed. "Since I've got more important stuff on my mind."

Blaine, not used to being snapped at by his usually so soft-spoken and good-natured friend, raised his eyebrows. "Oh… Work trouble or love trouble?"

Trent sighed. "Love trouble."

"Want to talk about it?" Blaine offered.

"Yes."

"Okay."

Trent bit his lip. "The thing is, Ashton asked me to move in with him."

"Riiiight," Blaine drawled. "Isn't that a bit early? You've been dating for… what, two months now?"

"Six, almost seven, actually."

"Oh. Okay."

"And yes, maybe it's a bit early, but for Ashton it's safer to be away from you."

Blaine frowned at Trent. "Safer?"

"He's allergic to cats and dogs. When you're in your dog form, he really suffers whenever he comes here."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

Trent rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't."

Blaine crossed his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can we get back to the main issue please? The thing is, I'm going to have to move out of here, or I will lose my boyfriend."

Blaine's mouth fell open. "So you're just going to up and leave? What about me? What am I supposed to do when I turn back into a dog? Aren't you being a bit selfish right now?"

Trent glared at Blaine. "Oh, _I'm_ being selfish?! That's rich!"

Trent balled his hands into fists. "You know, I used to think you'd gotten a rough deal, with this dog curse, but I more than understand Alex by now. You're the most self-absorbed guy I 've ever met. You can hide it really well, and seem friendly and helpful and whatnot, but you never so much as notice anyone else."

Blaine, taken aback by his friend's animosity, opened his mouth to ask what had brought this on, but Trent shouted, "NO! You're going to shut up until I've said my piece!"

Blaine nodded and sat down on his loveseat, looking up at Trent, who sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"I've been helping you out for years and years now. Living with you day in day out, covering for you any time you needed it, looking after you. Always on standby. Never going home to visit my parents or even going out at night without you just in case you turned into a dog and needed my help. And trust me, I did it with love."

Blaine smiled at Trent, but that seemed to make him even angrier.

"But you've never appreciated anything I do for you. You take it for granted. Like this is just a normal thing you can ask of any regular friend. Well, let me tell you, it's not. It's me putting my life on hold for over a decade, in the hopes that you'd finally get your head out of your ass and NOTICE me. As more than a friend."

A feeling of dread stirred in Blaine's stomach, because this sounded so horribly familiar. Trent let out a humourless chuckle.

"Oh, that's news to you, is it? Everyone else but you has known this for YEARS. Even your mother knows. I have been in love with you since sophomore year in high school. That's right. Eleven years I've waited for you. And I am done waiting. So done."

Blaine winced at the pain in Trent's voice. Had he really been so blind?

"I kept hoping for a really long time, because you were always so attentive, so affectionate. Also, you never dated anyone else and you spent all your time with me. But I guess that had more to do with the curse than with me, right? You didn't want to risk turning into a dog while your one-night stand was balls deep in you?"

Blaine bit his lip and looked down, because yes, that was his reason for not dating.

Trent nodded, his eyes sad. "I wasted so much time. Did you know that it took Ashton two years to ask me out 'cause he was convinced you and I were married? 'Cause I always take you to every work function, and we've lived together for years, though we both make enough money to have an apartment of our own. But then luckily, he overheard you telling Janice that you were single, yes, but gay. And that's when he plucked up the courage to talk to me."

Trent smiled. "And he's amazing. And I'm happy. So happy. I've never had this. I never even thought I would. And if he weren't allergic to dogs, there would be no problem. But he is. Very allergic. And it's horrible. It gives him an asthma attack to be around you in your dog form, though you don't even shed all that much. He goes blue in the face, Blaine. He can't breathe because of you. And if he wants to avoid that, he needs to take medication that makes him feel groggy and lousy all day. So it's not selfish of him to ask me to move in with him. And it's not selfish of me to consider it. _He's_ my boyfriend, not you."

Trent rubbed a hand over his face to wipe his tears away, and Blaine wordlessly handed him a handkerchief. Trent rolled his eyes, blew his nose in it and then continued. "I've looked after you for years, even though I'm not your boyfriend, not your brother, and not your parent or guardian. All I am to you is a friend. Well, you can find another friend. And if you can't, you can pay for that dog walker that's also taking your class to come live with you 24/7. The way you've been talking about him and his many talents the past few weeks, I'm sure an arrangement like that would suit you way better than living with me."

Trent sounded bitter. Had Blaine really been talking about Kurt that much? He was one of the most talented students Blaine had ever taught, that was true. But why would that make Trent angry? It wasn't like Blaine fancied Kurt.

Trent shrugged. "So I've made up my mind. I'm going to pack, and I'm going to be out of your hair by this time tomorrow. Have a good life, Blaine."

Trent turned around, walked into his bedroom and slammed the door closed.

Blaine stared after him, stunned. That had been a lot of information to take in. Why hadn't Trent said anything before? Blaine was slow to take a hint, that was for sure, but Trent could have told him outright. Why had he let this fester for years?

Blaine put on his shoes and his coat, and went out for a walk, figuring it was pretty safe to go out by himself, seeing as he'd only just turned human again. It had been years, and Alexei didn't think of him often nowadays. It wasn't like his junior year, during which he'd had to drop out and be home-schooled after Alexei had cursed him because there was barely a day between his dog weeks, and he couldn't attend Dalton as a dog, now, could he? If he hadn't had his mom's and Trent's support, he'd have gone completely nuts back then.

Blaine wandered around aimlessly for hours, and ended up on a bench in a quiet little park, his head in his hands, and thinking hard. He'd have to contact his mother, as soon as possible, so that they could adjust the emergency plan for when Blaine turned into a dog. With Trent out of the equation, they'd need to rethink it.

Blaine toyed with the idea of asking Kurt to come live with him so that he'd have someone to look after him. But for that, he'd need to share his secret with someone else than his mother and his best friend, and that thought was scary. A bridge too far. He decided not to make any rash decisions and to wait until he'd talked to his mother.

A quiet voice distracted him from his thoughts. It sounded familiar. When Blaine looked up, he saw that the park had attracted two more visitors in spite of the late hour. A tiny dog that seemed upset for some reason, and a man trying to calm it down by squatting next to it, petting it gently and speaking to it in a soothing tone. Looking more closely, Blaine realised that it was Kurt, and that he was looking right at him. He sent Kurt a smile that probably looked more like a grimace, and then broke the eye contact to go back to reviewing his options and mourning Trent's departure.

No, he wasn't in love with Trent, and never had been, but he'd miss him. So much. His best friend. His confidant. The one person he could always depend on.

Trent would leave such a large hole in his life. Blaine didn't even know how to live without him. No-one to say hi to in the morning and at night. No-one to eat with and watch trashy TV with. No sympathetic ear, no-one to give him sound advice and to arrange all the practical stuff that muddled and overwhelmed Blaine. No-one to talk and laugh and cry with, and no-one to hug and cuddle with.

Only now did it dawn on Blaine how much he'd come to depend on Trent, and how much it felt like a relationship, yes, minus the sex aspect.

Blaine winced as he thought of all the gestures he'd made that could have been misunderstood. He'd always presented Trent with a gift on Valentine's Day, seeing as they were both chronically single, and he took him out every year, too, usually dinner and a show. He brought Trent breakfast in bed on weekends, seeing as he was a morning person and Trent was not. He mothered Trent whenever he was sick. He tended to remember Trent's preferences in chocolates and pastries, and regularly brought home a box of Guylian seafood or fresh cannolis for him. He cuddled against him on the sofa while watching television, and hugged him several times a day.

Put that all together and it was no wonder Trent had hoped for more. No wonder people thought he and Trent were a couple.

Blaine had, once again, been an oblivious idiot, and he'd hurt the best man he'd ever known.


	6. Chapter 5: Trying New Things

**Author's Note:** **I procrastinated writing this chapter, so it's not completely betaed yet. Thank you hkvoyage for your lightning-fast review of the first part! I'll try to have the next chapter ready faster...** **This chapter is again from Kurt's point of view. Enjoy!** **Thank you so much to everyone who left me a review - I truly value your feedback :-)**

Chapter 5: Trying New Things

 _April to September 2012_

On Monday, during class, Professor Anderson seemed as cheerful as ever, but Kurt noticed that his smile never reached his eyes, and that every now and then, he seemed to drift off into a daydream.

Kurt was determined to get to the bottom of it, so the next day, after his morning class, he went to see the professor during his consulting hours, and was please to elicit a real smile from the man when he noticed who had come in.

"Kurt! How can I help you?"

Kurt, who'd been struggling to make something of a series of tragically underexposed photographs for the jewellery section on the Vogue website, confided his woes to Professor Anderson, who looked at the photographs on Kurt's laptop and grimaced.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to work miracles. I can make them look slightly better, but they will still be too dark and too grainy."

Kurt sighed. "I thought you'd say that. Well, it can't be helped. I'll ask Isabelle if they can be re-shot. Thank you anyway, Professor."

Then, as he stood up, he looked the professor straight in the eye and asked, "By the way, is everything all right? I saw you on Saturday in the park, and you looked…"

Professor Anderson looked surprised for a second, and then touched. "I'm fine, Kurt, thanks for your concern. I was just sad because my roommate was moving out over the weekend."

"Oh, right," Kurt commiserated. "Finding a new roommate is always a hassle. And you never know what they're like until you've lived with them for a good while. Rachel's boyfriend lived with us for a few months, and he tended to walk around our loft naked. Now, I can appreciate a good-looking guy with the best of them, but there are some things I don't need to see before I've had my coffee in the morning."

Professor Anderson chuckled. "I can imagine. The thing is, I've never lived with anybody else but Trent. Well, except when I was in boarding school. And we've lived together for a long time, so I'm really going to miss him. But I get that Trent would rather live with his boyfriend than with me. That's only normal."

Kurt hummed in understanding. "True. At least he has the courtesy of moving out. Rachel just invited Brody to come live with us, without even consulting me! One morning, he was there, and he never left again. Well, until they broke up because she found out he worked as an escort, but that's a story for another time."

Professor Anderson raised his eyebrows, and Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes as dramatically as he could. "Don't even ask."

That earned him another chuckle, and a warm smile that crinkled the professor's eyes. "I won't. Thanks for cheering me up, Kurt."

Kurt beamed. "Any time."

He slipped out of the office, humming under his breath, happy in spite of the extra work it would take to arrange a new photoshoot for the jewellery.

A giggle startled him, and when he looked for the source of that sound, he saw Maizie lounging against the wall in front of Professor Anderson's office.

"Look who's on top of the world again," Maizie singsonged, threading her arm through Kurt's and falling into step with him. "Crush back in full force, is it?"

Kurt shrugged and grinned at her. "It never left. I tried, but, no such luck. Seems like you can't help who you crush on, so I figured, what's the harm, as long as I'm not being creepy about it?"

"Hmm, true," Maizie agreed.

"What were you doing here anyway?" Kurt asked.

"I had something to ask Professor Scher about our final. When I saw you, I thought I'd wait for you so we could have lunch together."

Kurt licked his lips. "At your sister's diner?"

"Yep. Lemon cheesecake today for dessert."

Kurt's eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds amazing! Only… I was going to eat with Elliott and Neil, in fact. Can they come too?"

"Sure, honey. Violet and Marissa are coming too, 'cause we have a group project to wrap up."

"Same," Kurt sighed, whipping his phone out to text Elliott and Neil about the change of plans. "I hate the end-of-school-year crunch. Will your sister mind if we hog the table after dinner to work on our projects?"

Maizie laughed. "Nah, Suzie's cool. She says she'd rather keep an eye on me to make sure I actually do my school work."

At the diner, the teasing continued. All of Kurt's friends, even the ones not taking any graphic design classes, knew about his humongous crush on Professor Anderson by now, and it had become a running gag.

Kurt just shrugged it off good-naturedly, enjoying the novelty that to none of them, his being gay was even a factor. No-one sneered at him or told him he was an abomination, or that he would go to hell, or that he had better stay away from other men, or else! No, they just poked fun at him and suggested silly ways for him to show the professor how much he loved him, or to ask him out, or to get him to kiss Kurt, cracking each other up until he rolled his eyes and reminded them they had a project to work on.

K&B

Kurt found himself stifling yawns all week long. He had so many essays and projects to finish and so much studying to do now that the school year was almost at its end, and coupled with his internship at Vogue and his dog-walking, it was a bit too much. If only he could get into bed and sleep for a week, but that wasn't an option. Well, he was young, he was fit and healthy, and he was thriving both at school and at work, so a few weeks of constant exhaustion wasn't going to kill him. He'd already decided to go to Ohio for a month in summer, though, to see his dad and to get some much needed rest.

Kurt had enrolled for the first summer class, in June, and he'd contacted the R/GA design agency about the paid internship they'd offered. He'd be starting there in August. He hadn't had the time to visit the company premises yet, but he'd talked to the HR department on the phone and had a good feeling about this internship. He had loved working with Isabelle at Vogue, but it hadn't paid the bills, nor had he learned as many marketable skills as R/GA had on offer.

Burt was fully on board with Kurt taking graphic design on as a minor. "You've shown that you can do it, winning that competition and all. And you say you like it. So why not? Now's the time to learn as much as you can, in all sorts of fields, kiddo. Once you have a job, and maybe a family, you won't have the time. So go ahead and take those classes. You'll do great."

So, as Kurt worked for his finals, he was already looking forward to new graphic design classes, and he decided not to torture himself and to just enjoy his friendship with Professor Anderson without feeling any qualms about it. The professor was right, they weren't doing anything wrong. Kurt had a crush, yes, but he didn't act on it, and he never would. He promised himself not to go out of his way to visit the professor during his consultation hours, but once in a while would do no harm.

Feeling so much lighter now that he'd absolved himself of guilt, he breezed through his finals, and before he knew it, June was upon him, and he was wheeling his suitcase into the apartment of a rich businesswoman. She was travelling to Hong Kong for a month, but needed someone to look after her two Dalmatians. They came with a whole set of instructions, and Kurt's new client cross-examined him thoroughly, but Kurt fielded the woman's questions to her satisfaction and promised to keep her updated by sending her pictures of the dogs. At long last, she click-clacked off to the elevator with a suitcase of her own.

The summer course he was taking dealt with Colour Theory, and was taught by Professor Anderson, who seemed genuinely glad to be teaching Kurt again, and came to chat with him after class of his own accord, discussing summer plans and Kurt's internship at R/GA. "Paula knows someone at R/GA. You should talk to her and get his name. Maybe he could take you under his wing?"

Kurt promised he'd look into it, and then told the professor that he was dog-sitting now instead of dog-walking, and that he still didn't know his new neighbourhood well enough to find all the good spots to buy coffee and food. Professor Anderson proved to live in the same area, and was happy to help. "And you have to try the Esterhazy cake at Coffee Clock, it's SO good."

The professor turned around when another student cleared her throat to catch his attention. "Yes, Anna, did you have a question for me?"

Kurt smiled at the professor and slunk away. Yes, starting to talk to him again had been the right decision. As long as he didn't expect more to come of it, he could have this, and enjoy it.

July in Ohio passed more quickly than Kurt would have liked. Though he didn't have much love to spare for Lima, Ohio, and its narrow-minded inhabitants, he loved seeing his father and Carole again, helping out his dad with car check-ups and repairs, going shopping in the mall, though NYC had far better shops, and going for coffee at the Lima Bean.

Mercedes happened to be visiting her family too at the end of July, and Kurt enjoyed catching up with her. Her first album was quite successful, and she'd be touring the rest of the summer. She told Kurt about the guy she was seeing and showed him pictures. His nickname was Tank, and it was obvious why: he was a solid wall of muscle. In every photograph, he was glaring, but Mercedes swore up and down that he was sweet and gentle and respected her boundaries, so Kurt squashed down his concerns and was happy for her.

He told her about his crush on his professor, and Mercedes sighed and rolled her eyes. "Even in New York City, you fall for the guys you can't have, do you? All right, all right, tell me all about him. I bet he's dreamy."

Yes, his month at home offered him everything he needed: rest, good food and companionship. Elliott sent him picture after picture of sights he'd seen and things he'd done on vacation in Peru, but Kurt wasn't jealous. Not even a little. He liked his summer holidays uneventful. A slice of home was all he needed to be happy.

Really, the only memorable thing that happened during his vacation was when he and Mercedes went to see a musical in Westerville one night, and right before the intermission, a woman stood up, blocking their view, and led a DOG out of the theatre. Who on earth would take their dog to a musical? Kurt and Mercedes had a good laugh about that.

It wasn't until Kurt was in bed, later that night, that it occurred to him the dog had been quite similar to Devon. While it had been relaxing not to have to get up at the crack of dawn every morning, he'd be glad to be back in New York soon, and to have dogs to look after again.

He already had a new address where he'd be house-sitting and dog-sitting in August and September. This time, there was only one black Labrador to look after, who apparently loved to play with other dogs, so Kurt had told the agency that he could walk a few others too. The Dalmatians he'd taken care of in June had not enjoyed the company of other dogs. Like with Precious, it made them anxious, so Kurt had taken them to quiet places where only the occasional jogger came. Kurt had liked them, but looked forward to getting to play with several dogs again.

K&B

A week later, Kurt was jogging up the subway stairs like he'd never left New York. He had a meeting at R/GA to further discuss his internship and to sign the papers, and he couldn't wait to start working there.

The HR rep – "Call me Ellie" – took him on a tour through the building and explained what all the people were doing. "And here's the PR department, who make sure people hear about us and want to work with us – that's André over there, Sandra, Bonnie and Sebastian."

The guy called Sebastian turned around on his desk chair and gave Kurt a once-over. "So you're Paula's new _protégé_ , are you?"

He pronounced _protégé_ with a French accent, and Kurt almost swooned because that sounded so suave, barely managing to nod.

"Hmm, not very chatty, huh?" Sebastian continued. "I bet you're a loud one in bed, though. All moans and screams."

Kurt felt his cheeks heat up.

"Sebastian!" Ellie admonished him. "That's very inappropriate!"

Sebastian waved that off. "Yeah, yeah, I need to remember I'm in America and you're all terrible prudes, bla, bla, bla."

Ellie stood her ground. "It's not about being a prude, it's about not making unwanted advances at work. You've had warnings before, Sebastian. If you want to pick up a new guy every night, go to a club. Don't come on to people at work. They're off limits to you. Especially interns. Do I need to remind you of Chandler?"

"Unwanted advances? Chandler wanted my attention," Sebastian drawled. "He wanted it very much. And judging from this one's blush, he wouldn't say no either."

Ellie glared at him. "Off. Limits. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sebastian said. "Hey, New Intern, is that yummy Anderson still teaching at Parsons? Curly hair, glasses and an ass that won't quit."

"Sebastian!" Elle warned him.

"What? That was just a question for information!"

Kurt cleared his throat, and Sebastian's gaze swivelled towards him again. "Yes, Professor Anderson is still at Parsons."

Sebastian smirked. "Maybe I should come and give a presentation about R/GA again. I'll talk to Paula about it."

The gleam in his eyes was predatory, and now that it was meant for Professor Anderson and not Kurt himself, it made Kurt angry instead of shy.

Who did that guy think he was, gobbling men up and then spitting them back out? Who would even fall for that spiel? But then Kurt remembered Sebastian's French accent, and imagined him speaking whole sentences in those lilting, caressing tones. Okay, yes, that would help. He was still pretty sure that Professor Anderson wouldn't fall for someone that sleazy. He wouldn't, would he?

K&B

Kurt settled in his new routine faster than he'd thought possible. Now that he limited himself to three dog walks a day, and only dogs that lived in the neighbourhood where he was staying, that opened up his schedule for his internship and the extra classes he was taking.

He was learning a lot at R/GA. They had newer and better computer programmes and drawing pads, and Kurt loved trying out all the features. The designers whose team he'd joined were creative and driven, and enjoyed teaming up with Kurt for an assignment, praising his innovative ideas.

One of them, Joanne, had poor eyesight, to the point of being nearly blind. She showed him the magnifying software and hardware she used to be able to see everything properly.

They designed a website together, and she taught him all about making his designs inclusive, not just for users with low vision, but also for people who happened to be deaf, dyslexic, autistic or had physical disabilities. Basically, the trick was to make the lay-out logical and linear, to use a clear colour contrast throughout, to keep the content short, simple and to the point, and to provide audio and video and images for whoever needed that, as well as shortcuts for forms that needed to be filled in.

Kurt filed all that away for an essay he had to write for his Graphic Design History class on the topic of social change. Making websites more accessible for people with a disability was definitely a change he was in favour of.

Yes, all in all, he was very pleased with this new road he had taken. Though the graphic design classes added considerably to his workload, he thrived in them, and he found that they helped him improve his fashion designs as well. He took to designing his own fabrics and having them printed, and he pared down the structure of his garments to the bare essentials, but impeccably made, and always with his very own twist.

Professor Scher and Professor Anderson continued to encourage and stimulate him in class, and Professor Scher regularly wanted to discuss his work at R/GA and what he learnt there. "If we're falling behind here, Kurt, you need to tell me. This programme is supposed to get students ready to work as a designer for one of the big companies. If there's new software they have to master or new guidelines they have to follow, you must tell me, so that we can adapt the programme. Okay?"

So when Professor Scher stopped him in the hallway one day by putting a hand on his arm, Kurt thought it would be for another chat about his internship. But she whispered, low and urgent, "Come with me."

Kurt, a bit puzzled now, followed her. She led him to Professor Anderson's office, where instead of the professor himself, a dog sat on the desk chair.

And it was a dog Kurt recognised. "Devon! Devon, is that really you?"

Devon jumped off the chair in a fluid movement and raced towards Kurt, who squatted down to hug and pet him.

"You know this dog?" Professor Scher asked.

"Yes, yes, I do," Kurt said. "I've looked after him several times. But I swear I didn't bring him here as a prank or something. I wouldn't, I swear."

Professor Scher laughed. "Calm down, Kurt. You're not in trouble. I know you. You're far too busy to be playing pranks on anyone. I just brought you here because I know you're a dog walker and you might be able to help. Could you take this dog back to his house?"

"His apartment," Kurt corrected, checking his key-chain. Yes, the Devon key was still on there. "Yes, Professor, I'll bring him home. No problem. My classes are done for the day anyway."

Kurt rummaged in his backpack for a spare collar and a leash, and put them on Devon, whose tail was wagging so hard his whole backside moved to and fro.

"Ready, champ?" Kurt said, and Devon trotted off immediately.

Kurt turned his head towards Professor Scher. "Bye!"

She grinned at him and waved. "See you in class tomorrow!"

K&B

Devon tugged Kurt in the direction of the park, so Kurt, figuring that the dog needed to relieve himself, brought him there, and played with him for a while, too.

Then Kurt headed to the apartment where the dog lived, but as soon as they reached the building, Devon started to whimper, and when Kurt opened the door and ushered Devon in, the dog full-out whined and refused to go in.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Kurt asked. "Why won't you go in? I guess nobody's home, but there never was anyone home last time I looked after you either. Did you run out of food, or water, is that it?"

Kurt went inside, followed by a whimpering Devon. He checked all the rooms, but didn't find any dog dishes or dog food anywhere, and the fridge was empty except for some left-over Chinese food that looked mouldy. The whole place looked deserted. The beds made, no dirty dishes or laundry anywhere, nothing to suggest anyone had been there recently.

Kurt sighed. "I guess your owner went on vacation and forgot all about you, huh? Or maybe something happened to him? Well, I can take you home with me, just for tonight, but I'm only dog-sitting that place for two more days, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with you after Carla's owner comes back home. You'll be nice to Carla, won't you? She's a black Lab, and she's very friendly. I think you'll like her."

Kurt led Devon out of the apartment again, the dog cheering up as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"Did you jump out of a window onto the fire escape?" Kurt asked Devon, squatting down again to pet him. "You must have escaped somehow. And you came to my school to find me? You clever boy, you!"

Devon let his tongue hang out of his mouth, the very picture of contentment.

K&B

Later that evening, Kurt was at the park with Devon and Carla when his phone rang. It was the dog agency.

"So we have a new assignment for you," Sheila said. "Devon needs a dog-sitter for a week, starting tonight. The black Portie, you've looked after him before. And I know you're still with Carla 'till the end of the month, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind checking up on Devon and walking him three times a day until then? You'd be paid for it as though you were dog-sitting him."

Kurt exhaled slowly. So Devon's owner hadn't forgotten about him, had he? Should he mention anything to Sheila?

"Kurt? Is three walks too demanding with your current school schedule?" Sheila asked.

"No, no, it's fine," Kurt answered. "I was just… Okay. Okay, I'll do it."

"You will? Fantastic, you're a lifesaver!"

Sheila hung up, leaving Kurt staring at his phone, thinking hard. Well, tonight and tomorrow were no problem. Devon could stay with Kurt and Carla. But the last day of September, Carla's owner was coming back, and he wouldn't be pleased to find another dog in his home. So Kurt would either have to leave Devon at his apartment, or if that upset him too much, take him along to school and to R/GA.

Kurt pocketed his phone and looked up. Carla was running around chasing a squirrel, barking happily, but Devon was sitting on his haunches right in front of Kurt, looking way too serious for a dog. Was he worried Kurt would abandon him, too?

"Come," said Kurt, and he sat down on the grass, pulling the Portie half on his lap. He petted Devon's neck and caressed him behind his ears until the dog let out a deep sigh and all the tension left his body.

"You're staying with me and Carla for the next two nights," Kurt announced. "And then I'm coming to live at your place for the rest of the week. The dog agency called. Your owner paid for a week of dog-sitting. You will be alone during the day, though, 'cause I have school and work, but that's not me saying goodbye to you, okay? I would never do that. I promise you I will always come back and look after you, as long as you need me."

Devon nuzzled Kurt's hand to demand more petting, and sighed again, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Kurt laughed. "I take it you're okay with that? All right, then, let's get home and to bed. Carla? Carla, come here, girl!"


	7. Chapter 6: Sharing Secrets

Author's Note:

This chapter is still unbetaed, sorry about that! I've been procrastinating again, and my lovely beta hkvoyage hasn't had a chance to look this over for me yet. This chapter is again from Blaine's point of view. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 6: Sharing Secrets**

 _April to September 2012_

"Hey, honey bee," Pam said. "I hope you're calling to tell me you and Trent are coming for a visit after finals."

Blaine burst into tears upon hearing that warm, familiar voice, and the mention of Trent didn't help either.

"Blaine, sweetie, what's wrong?" Pam asked.

"Trent is… moving out…" Blaine sobbed.

"What?! Why?!"

"His… *sniff*… his boyfriend… asked him… to come live with him," Blaine explained.

"What?! Hold up, honey, his BOYFRIEND?!" Pam shrieked. "When did you guys break up, and why is this the first I hear about it?"

Blaine was silent for a beat. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Pam huffed in exasperation. "Trent! You've been together since high school! You've lived together for… what, ten years? I keep expecting you to pop the question to Trent and get married and have babies. And now you just mention casually that he's dating someone else, as though it doesn't even matter. What happened?!"

Blaine rubbed a hand over his face. "Mom… Not you too! Trent and I have never dated. We're just friends. Best friends. That's all we've ever been."

Pam laughed. "Oh, honey, that's such bull. You've stayed here at my place together, and no, I've never seen you kiss or heard you have sex, but it was clear enough that you were in a relationship. The way he looked at you with hearts in his eyes, and the way you stayed close to him, always touching him in one way or another. The way you cuddled on the sofa and bickered like an old married couple. The way you knew what Trent wanted and needed before it even registered in his brain. You've always been inseparable, and you click so well. Maybe the two of you have never said the words, but it was obvious to me, and to anyone with eyes, really, that you loved each other, and that you were together. So together. Honey, you've asked me for advice on Valentine's gifts for Trent! You wouldn't buy a Valentine's gift for someone who's just a friend."

Blaine sighed, not in the mood to argue.

"So what happened?" Pam wanted to know. "Trent fell in love with someone else?"

"Yes," said Blaine. "His name is Ashton, and he's a colleague of Trent's."

"How long has this been going on?"

Blaine thought hard. "Seven months or so. Since November."

"And now he's moving out, huh," Pam mused. "What are you going to do when you turn into a dog, then?"

"I don't know!" Blaine wailed. "What do I do, Mom? Trent says to hire a dog sitter, but I don't want to explain my situation to a stranger!"

Pam hummed in assent. "Well, for now, you could draft a standard mail to the dog agency requesting a week of walks, asking them to get in touch with me for the payment, and you put me in CC, and you make sure you have your Outlook open at any time, and that draft mail, too. At home, at school, on your mobile. And when you feel you're going to turn into a dog, you send that mail before you do anything else. All right?"

"Right," said Blaine, starting up Outlook to draft the mail his mother had outlined.

"And I'm coming to New York. I know you say you and Trent never dated, but you sound really cut up about his moving out. You shouldn't be all alone right now. The school year's almost over, isn't it?"

Blaine hesitated. "Yes, but… I'm teaching a summer class in June. For three weeks."

Pam hummed again. "I see. All right. I'll stay with you until that summer class has come to an end, and then you're coming home to Ohio with me for the summer holidays."

"Mom!" Blaine protested.

"No grumbling, honey bee. I need to keep an eye on you while I can. And I know there's a lot more to do in New York, but we'll have fun at home too. I'm taking you to the theatre. There's a Rent revival I have tickets for. And you can help me in the garden. And catch up with your Warbler friends."

"Okay, okay…"

Blaine resigned himself to having his mom as a guest for over a month, and to an Ohioan summer after that. It was nice of Pam to rush to his aid, but how he wished it hadn't been necessary.

K&B

Blaine was surprised and pleased when that Tuesday, Kurt came to see him during his consulting hours, and even more so when he asked him if he was okay.

Kurt didn't stay long, but by the time he left, Blaine felt a lot better. A fact that didn't escape Paula's notice when he left his office later that afternoon.

"You're humming," Paula said, locking her own office, too. "Kurt worked his magic, did he?"

"Good Lord, Paula, would you stop?!" Blaine hissed. "Do you even listen to yourself sometimes? For the millionth time, there is nothing going on between Kurt and me. He just came in with a question, and we talked for a bit."

Paula raised an eyebrow. "No need to get so worked up. I was just pointing out that you clearly feel better, after sulking for two days."

"Yeah, I did feel better, until you butted in again," Blaine snapped. "Making it sound like I'm having an affair with a student."

"I did not," Paula disagreed. "Not my fault that you read into everything I say. What's got your panties in a twist?"

Her face grew serious when Blaine told her about his roommate moving out, almost as if she realised the problems this caused for Blaine.

"So will you advertise for a new roommate?" Paula asked.

Blaine shook his head. "I don't really need a roommate. The apartment is mine. I bought it with the money my grandfather left me."

Paula cocked her head to the side. "You may not need the money, but you do need the company. You should think about it."

Again, her eyes were piercing right through him.

Feeling a little unsettled, Blaine nodded, and then made his escape.

K&B

Having his mother living in his apartment took some getting used to. Pam commented on what Blaine wore, what he ate, what he watched on TV, what he read and how he spent his evenings and weekends.

Apparently, the meals Blaine cooked were too fattening, and he needed to use less cheese, less meat, less salt, and a lot more vegetables. After a while, Blaine just gave up on cooking, content to eat whatever his mother prepared.

Pam also thought that Blaine was becoming a coach potato, so she took him to a nearby gym in the evenings, encouraging him to take up boxing again. On weekends, they went jogging in Central Park.

Shortly after finals, Blaine turned into a dog again, and the jogging became a necessity rather than a choice.

Blaine was a bit alarmed about the dog spells coming closer together again, but felt lucky that at least this time, he didn't have work to worry about. The school year was over, and summer school was still a week and a half away.

Having his mom cleaning up his messes was a bit awkward, but she'd done the same when he was a baby, Blaine reasoned.

K&B

On the first day of his summer class, he was delighted to find that Kurt was among his students, working as hard as ever, and producing A+ content. He also seemed to have gotten over his hang-ups about talking to Blaine, and they took to chatting after every lesson.

Among other things, Blaine learnt that Kurt was dog-sitting now instead of walking lots of dogs belonging to various owners. That wasn't good news. It meant that the dog walking agency wouldn't be able to send Kurt to walk Blaine next time. It would be a stranger. Blaine resolved to bring the dog walking agency a spare key to his apartment as soon as possible.

Like Blaine, Kurt was heading to Ohio as soon as this summer class was over, but unlike Blaine, he was counting down the days, claiming that he needed rest. He did look tired, Blaine noticed upon closer scrutiny. He remembered Paula telling him that Kurt would be taking on graphic design as a minor as of next school year, and he hoped it wouldn't be too taxing for him. He'd be keeping an eye on Kurt, and if it looked like he was overwhelmed, Blaine would discuss it with Paula. Maybe there were classes that Kurt could test out of because there was an overlap with his major?

In Ohio, the first thing that happened was that he turned into a dog again. While she was at work, Pam let him roam in the backyard, which was certainly big enough, but Blaine still felt lonely without anyone to play with him and look after him. As soon as he transformed again, Blaine fell into a rhythm that made him feel like a teenager again. In the morning, he helped his mother arrange charity events, worked in the garden and went grocery-shopping, and generally did anything else Pam needed his assistance with. In the afternoon, he swam in their back-yard pool, worked on his tan and met up with a few friends that had come to visit their families.

Wes told him all about his fiancée, and how they were getting married in April. Thad, on the other hand, was already divorced, and talked about not getting to see his son as often as he'd like. David had become a teacher, like Blaine, and they swapped stories about their students.

All of his friends asked after Trent, and were upset to hear that he was dating and living with Ashton now.

"What?!" David yelled. "You and Trent broke up? How is that possible? You've been dating for so long, and I've never once seen you fight. You were that couple that everyone looked up to, you know, in school. You seemed to have it all together when the rest of us were just muddling through. I thought you'd be married with a million kids by now."

Blaine hunched a little, breaking eye contact.

Wes clapped him on the back. "Hey… I'm sure David didn't mean to make you feel any worse about the break-up, DID YOU, DAVID?"

David, succumbing under Wes' glare, shook his head.

"We're just surprised, that's all," Wes continued, "because we all thought you'd be together forever."

Blaine didn't dare tell his friends that he and Trent had never been boyfriends, and chose to change the subject instead.

The last week of Blaine's vacation, Pam took him to the Rent revival she had tickets for, and Blaine loved it. So engrossed was he in all that was happening on the stage that he didn't realise having turned into a dog until after the transformation was complete. He nudged his mother with his nose, and her eyes went wide.

Pam brought his collar and leash everywhere they went, so she snapped them on immediately. Then she picked up Blaine's clothes, stuffed them in her purse, and led Blaine out of the theatre. They were sitting at the end of an aisle, so only the people directly behind them noticed them leave. Blaine shot them a quick look in passing, and at once, his heart started to jack-rabbit in his chest. Just behind him, at the end of the aisle, sat Kurt! He was looking right at Blaine and giggling it up with the girl sitting next to him. Had he recognised Blaine? Probably not. But seriously, what were the odds?

Blaine's heart rate didn't slow down until he was at home again and swimming a few laps in the pool to relax. He told himself there was no need to worry. If Kurt had noticed Blaine before the curtain went up, he was pretty sure Kurt would at least have come and greeted him. Since he didn't, he must only have seen Blaine in his dog form at the theatre. And he saw so many dogs on the regular that he'd probably wouldn't think of Devon, would he?

Still, it was worrying how many close shaves he'd already had with Kurt. Kurt looking after him for a week and then turning up for his class the next week. Kurt winning the competition where Blaine was in the jury, with Blaine transforming just an hour before the award ceremony was to take place. And now Blaine having another dog spell while the both of them were in the same theatre. Was that a sign of the universe to tell him he needed to confide in Kurt?

Just then, Pam screeched, "Blaine! Get out of the pool AT ONCE! This is SO unhygienic!"

Blaine hurried out of the pool and gave his mother his most contrite look.

"Those puppy eyes stopped working on me a long time ago," Pam informed him. "Now come here, I need to dry you off before you trample muddy paw prints all over the kitchen floor."

K&B

Blaine started the new school year a few days late due to his dog spell, and had to endure some teasing from Paula about wanting extra vacation days. "Had a hot lover in your bed and didn't want to leave it, did you?"

Blaine flushed and denied that vehemently, until Paula was laughing her head off.

When she'd made enough fun of him for her liking, she told him Kurt was working at R/GA as an intern now. "I think I'm going to invite Sebastian from R/GA again this year to give a presentation about the agency, and Kurt can chip in with his experience interning there. And maybe this time around, you'll take Seb's VERY BROAD hints and sleep with him. You need to get laid, man. And at least Seb is your age, and not a student."

Blaine glared at her. "For the millionth time, I am not involved with Kurt!"

"I didn't say anything about Kurt," Paula smirked. "But I'm impressed at how fast your mind jumps to him these days. Maybe those very tight pants he wears do have some effect on you. I'll give it a few more months."

Blaine opened and closed his mouth a few times without any sound coming out, and then just walked off in the direction of his classroom without looking back at Paula, who was cackling again.

Kurt was in one of Blaine's classes again, this time Graphic Design History, and wrote very thought-provoking essays, which Blaine discussed with Paula to see if certain ideas and suggestions could be added to the curriculum, and with Kurt himself, because the essays always left him wanting to know more, to dive deeper into the subject. And Kurt never disappointed. He had such a brilliant brain, and seemed to know just how to cut through everything unnecessary to get to the essence. And he was so innovative, his mind teeming with ways to improve and simplify designs. He continued to astound Blaine, and Paula was just as impressed with him. No longer did she chew Blaine out for talking to Kurt for too long, because she did the exact same thing, wanting to know every particular of Kurt's internship at R/GA.

Blaine was in his office, marking the essays assigned that week, when suddenly, he felt his skin prickle and his nose growing wet. Knowing he had very little time until he'd be a dog again, he hit his keyboard and typed in his password, but his hands became paws before he could send the standard mail to the dog walking agency. He tried anyway, and let out an unhappy whine when the computer mouse refused to cooperate.

The noise he made must have carried farther than he thought, because the next thing he knew, Paula was standing beside his desk. She didn't seem a bit surprised to see a dog in his office. Did she… somehow know about his condition already?

"I take it you wanted to send this e-mail?" Paula asked, raising an eyebrow at Blaine.

Blaine nodded.

"Hmm, just dog walks won't be much use if there's nobody around to feed and water you," Paula remarked. "I'm gonna ask for a week of dog-sitting, then you'll be properly looked after."

Paula clicked 'Send' and then fixed him with a stare again.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I take it you're actually Blaine under a curse?"

Another nod.

"No need to look so scared, Blaine, I'm not going to out you!" Paula assured him. "But you're going to need someone to look after you, until the agency sends a dog walker over."

It dawned on Blaine that he had totally forgotten to drop off a spare key at the agency. The dog walker they sent would be unable to get into the apartment. He whined again. What a mess!

"No worries, no worries," said Paula. "I know _just_ the right person. Stay here!"

Blaine, stiff with stress now that she planned on bringing someone else into his office to see him like this, didn't move a muscle until she bustled back in, towing a bewildered Kurt behind her.

Kurt's face lit up beautifully when he saw Blaine, and he called him by his dog name. Blaine was off like a shot. Yes, yes, yes, Kurt could look after him. He would, wouldn't he? Surely, he'd take care of Blaine in spite of his dog-sitting duties?

Blaine nuzzled Kurt's knee and then his cheek, and rumbled deep in his chest when that prompted Kurt to pet Blaine in all the right places.

Paula asked Kurt to take Blaine back home, and Kurt agreed readily. Blaine happily followed him out of the office and off the campus, and then led him towards the park, where they played for a bit.

Blaine's mood dropped drastically on the way home, though. He realised that the apartment, should Kurt leave him there, would become his prison. The dog walker that the agency would be sending had no way of getting in, so Blaine would be left to his own devices for a whole week. He didn't even know if there was any dog food left in the house. He couldn't fill his water bowl by himself. And he had no way of getting out of the apartment to relieve himself somewhere outside.

The more Blaine thought about it, the more he panicked, and when they reached his apartment, he planted his paws firmly on the ground and refused to budge.

Kurt didn't understand, of course, and tried coaxing Blaine, but to no avail. After a while, Kurt went into the apartment himself, and after a moment's hesitation, Blaine followed him.

Room by room, Kurt inspected the apartment, and Blaine knew it didn't look lived in at the moment, because it wasn't. Blaine hated coming home to an empty apartment, so ever since he'd come home from Ohio, he'd spent as little time there as he possibly could. Instead, he chose to stay in his office on campus until late, heading to the gym afterwards, grabbing a bite to eat and only heading home when it was bed time.

Kurt came to the conclusion that Blaine's owner had abandoned him, and decided to take Blaine along to the place where he was dog-sitting, telling Blaine to play nice with the dog living there.

 _Yes, sure, anything, just take me with you. Please don't leave me here all alone!_

The dog Kurt was looking after was a black Labrador called Carla, very exuberant and friendly. She seemed beyond excited to have a playmate sleeping over, and when Kurt took the both of them to the park for their evening walk, she chased Blaine and play-bowed and growled and bounced up and down around him until Blaine indulged her with some playful scuffling.

After a while, Carla caught sight of a squirrel, and chased after it. Blaine took the opportunity to sidle back up to Kurt, who was on the phone. It proved to be the dog walking agency, and they asked Kurt to dog-sit 'Devon' for a week.

 _Yes! Please say yes, go on. Please!_

Kurt took some time to think it over, but ended up agreeing.

 _He's not going to bring me back to my apartment now, is he?_

Blaine was stiff with nerves again, and it took Kurt coaxing him onto his lap and massaging all the stress away for Blaine to relax a little.

Once Kurt spoke, Blaine's worries all evaporated. Of course Kurt wasn't planning on leaving him in that apartment all alone. He got to come with Kurt and Carla for a sleep-over. And once the assignment at Carla's place was over, Kurt would be coming to live at Blaine's for the rest of the week.

Blaine looked up at Kurt, trying to convey his gratitude with his eyes, and then nudged Kurt to get some more caresses.

Living with Kurt proved heavenly. Kurt bathed both Blaine and Carla that night, and after drying them off, he brushed their hair softly, with so much care and tenderness that it soothed Blaine until he dozed off.

When Kurt moved into Blaine's apartment, it smelled like home-cooked food again, for the first time in months, and Blaine loved it, though Kurt was strict and only gave Blaine dog food, no matter how much he whined and begged for scraps from the table.

One day bled into another, and Blaine didn't even notice its passing. He soaked up the companionship he had with Kurt and enjoyed it to the fullest, knowing he'd have to live on those memories until the next dog spell came along.

That Friday afternoon, Kurt came home from school and greeted Blaine with his customary belly rub. Blaine's head lolled left to right and his back arched up of its own accord as Kurt scratched his belly just the right way.

 _Oh, that feels SO good…_

Then, all of a sudden, Kurt's hands were gone, and a shrill scream rent the air.

Blaine opened his eyes lazily. Was there a spider, or a mouse? 'Cause he could totally chase it away for Kurt…

But it proved to be him that Kurt was looking at with horror.

 _Uh-oh…_

The hair on his skin prickled with apprehension, and Blaine looked down at his body, knowing what he would see before he saw it.

 _Right, I've turned human again. I need to explain._

But Kurt had recovered from his fright by now and let out a torrent of words, his eyes flashing.

"What the hell? What do you think you're playing at?! Elliott, if this is you playing a joke on me, it's not funny! You change back into yourself RIGHT NOW or else I will rip all of your designs to shreds!"

Blaine's eyes went wide. Kurt knew about magic? But why did he think Blaine was one of his friends pranking him?

"I'm giving you until the count of three," Kurt continued. "One… Two…"

"Wait! Stop!" Blaine implored him, holding his hands up. "This is not a prank, I swear. I'm Blaine Anderson, and I'm under a curse."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd say that. Tempting me by making it look like my crush is right in front of me, buck-naked, his humongous hard dick almost poking my eye out. And when that doesn't sway me right away, you tell me you're under a curse. Of course. Next you're going to tell me that only true love's kiss can save you, and then when I try and kiss you, you'll transform into something disgusting, won't you? Well, I won't play along. I won't be a good sport or whatever you'd call it. I hate magic. It's cost me my mom, and it broke Rachel's heart. It does nothing but ruin people's lives. I've got no time for your sick mind games. Find someone else to prank. And by the way: our friendship is OVER!"

Kurt turned around and stormed off to put his shoes and coat on.

Blaine followed, frantic now. "Kurt, please! It's really me. Please! You have to believe me!"

Kurt scoffed and turned his face away from Blaine.

Blaine pressed on. "I… I'll prove it to you. There are things you told me... Things I know... Your mother died when you were eight!"

Kurt's expression somehow became even more arctic. "Everybody knows that."

"You wanted to go to NYADA. Become a Broadway star. But you didn't get in."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Rude. And again, common knowledge."

Blaine racked his brains, and then it came to him. "A closeted jock stole your first kiss."

Kurt snapped his head towards Blaine, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide, and whispered, "How on earth do you know that?"

Blaine shrugged. "You told me."

Kurt gaped at him, speechless now.

Blaine continued, "You said you'd never told anyone. Because that jock threatened your life."

Kurt's shoulders slumped, and his face lost all colour. "He did. You're… You're actually Professor Anderson?"

Blaine snorted. "I'm standing here in my birthday suit and you still call me Professor? No need to be so formal at this point. Just Blaine will do."

Kurt let out a startled little laugh, and for a split second, his eyes flitted down, and his cheeks reddened. "I forgot."

"Lucky you."

That retort seemed to fluster Kurt even more, and Blaine was quick to grab his shoulder and reassure him. "Hey, hey… Don't worry about it. It's just a body. I don't care who sees it."

When that didn't seem to help much, Blaine threw in a wink. "You can admire me all you like."

That unfroze Kurt, who shook his head, giggling. "You're the worst. I blurt out I have a crush on you and instead of filing a restraining order, you tell me to check you out. You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

Blaine was glad that Kurt reacted so well. There was nothing off about his laughter. No bitterness about Blaine not reciprocating his feelings, and no anger either. Kurt seemed genuinely amused. So Blaine nudged Kurt's shoulder, grinned and replied, "Not a chance!"


	8. Chapter 7: Story Time

Author's Note:

This chapter is again from Kurt's point of view. It's pretty angsty, because Kurt talks about how his mother died. So: trigger warning for canon character death (Kurt's mom) and for homophobia (non-violent, slurs).

A big thank you to my beta hkvoyage 3

Chapter 7: Story Time

As soon as Kurt's assignment looking after Carla was over, Kurt brought Devon to his own apartment again. This time, Devon seemed to understand that Kurt would be staying with him and would not leave him all alone, maybe because Kurt had brought his suitcase.

"Hmm, the first order of business is to open a few windows," Kurt said. "It smells so stale here. And we'll have to go grocery-shopping. I need food, and so do you."

He rolled his suitcase a bit further down the hallway. "Devon, sweetie, do you have any idea where the guest room is? I wouldn't like your owner to come home and fly into a fit because I've been sleeping in his bed by accident."

Devon trotted to a door to the right and sat down in front of it.

"This is the spare room?" Kurt asked.

He looked inside. There was a bed, a bookcase and a big wardrobe. In the bedside drawer, he found lube and a vibrator.

"I think this is your owner's bedroom," Kurt said. "I'd rather not sleep here."

But Devon, supremely unconcerned, jumped onto the bed and made himself comfortable.

"Devon! Get off there at once!" Kurt reprimanded him.

Devon shot him a wounded look and refused to budge, but Kurt glared him into submission.

"Now I'll have to change these sheets, since you've been shedding on them," Kurt grumbled. "Ugh. I guess I could sleep here and then change the bedding the last day."

Kurt very much enjoyed his week with Devon, who was the most affectionate and happiest dog Kurt had ever looked after.

He seemed to be rather spoiled, though, and would sulk whenever Kurt wouldn't let him on the sofa or the bed, and whenever Kurt refused him human food.

"It's not good for you, Devon!" Kurt told him. "It will upset your stomach, and then who will have to clean up the mess? Me, that's who!"

It took a few days, and a lot of patience and dog treats and cuddles, for Devon to abide by Kurt's rules and to stop begging for scraps and jumping on the furniture, but finally, he behaved like a model dog.

Kurt guessed he would go right back to his spoiled ways as soon as his owner was back, though, but for now, he was glad that Devon listened to him.

On Friday afternoon, Kurt hurried back to the apartment as soon as his classes were over. He was expecting Devon's owner back home any minute. He'd already changed the bedding in the room where he'd been sleeping, and washed and dried it, but when he'd wanted to take it out of the dryer, it had been a bit damp still, so he'd chucked it back in and now he still had to fold it and put it back in the cupboard.

He hoped the owner wouldn't be back already. They generally didn't like any indication that someone other than themselves had lived in their home. The businesswoman whose Dalmatians he'd looked after had reported him to the agency for not putting the mug he'd used back in the cupboard with the handle to the left, like the others in the row.

When he opened the door, though, the only one greeting him, with his usual exuberance, was Devon. Kurt usually gave Devon a belly rub as soon as he came home from school, but now he only gave him a perfunctory pet on the shoulder and made a beeline for the laundry. As he started folding it, Devon threw himself on the floor and whined.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Drama queen! You'll get your cuddles in a minute. I need to do this first."

Once everything was folded and in the linen cupboard, Kurt whistled. "Devon? Come here, boy, if you want cuddles!"

Devon raced towards him and nuzzled Kurt's knee. Kurt rubbed his neck and behind his ear, until Devon flopped over and exposed his belly.

"Belly rub?" Kurt laughed, and set to it, petting and scratching Devon with his mind drifting away to other matters. The agency hadn't yet gotten in touch with him about a new dog-sitting assignment, so he'd have to crash at the loft he used to share with Rachel. It was a drag, having to move from one place to another and living out of a suitcase all the time, but for now, it was the best option he had. Any other job would take up too much time and not pay enough for Kurt to afford rent and other costs of living as well as his school fees. He counted himself lucky that he'd scored a paid internship. The pay wasn't much, but it helped in the finances department.

Kurt made a mental note to text Rachel and warn her that he'd be coming over and sleeping at her place for a while, but he forgot all about that when his hand, still caressing Devon, bumped into something smooth and hard.

His gaze flicked towards Devon, and what he saw made him jump away and scream his head off.

Because there was no adorable dog lying there on the floor to be petted. No. It was a man who lay there, naked as the day he was born, and Kurt's hand had just nudged his huge hard dick. As if that wasn't upsetting enough, it was a man he recognised. It was Professor Anderson.

Kurt's heart was hammering like it was about to jump straight out of his chest, but he forced himself to take deep breaths until he calmed down enough to think rationally.

There had been a dog there, minutes ago. He was sure of that. And now Devon was nowhere to be seen and Professor Anderson was there in his place. That reeked of _magic_.

Kurt remembered the prank Elliott had played on him a few months ago. Afterwards, he'd chewed Elliott out so hard that his friend had avoided him for weeks and winced whenever he and Kurt made eye contact. Kurt thought he'd learned his lesson. Clearly not, though, seeing as he was at it again. But Kurt would rip him a new one, and if he ever dared mess with Kurt again, he'd go Lima Heights on him!

From Kurt's mouth flew a torrent of words, and he glared at the fake Professor Anderson with so much force it should have set him on fire.

The impersonator insisted that he really was Professor Anderson, of course, but that just made Kurt's blood boil, and on he ranted. That it was horrid of Elliott to keep using Kurt's crush against him and mock him for it. That he hated magic because it ruined everything. And that he wanted nothing more to do with Elliott ever.

And then it occurred to him that if this was Elliott, the real Devon had been swapped for him at some point, and that he still had to be out there somewhere. Probably Neil was in on this prank and had taken the real dog home with him. Just now that his owner could be back any minute!

So Kurt shut up and ran to the front door without wasting another glance on the impostor, who followed him and pleaded for Kurt to believe him.

 _Yeah, like that's gonna happen…_

Kurt laced up his shoes with slightly more fervour than the action warranted, while the guy, now looking frantic, started summing up facts he knew about Kurt, choosing stuff that got Kurt's back up even more, until Kurt felt so much anger thrumming through him that he wanted to plant his fist straight into that puppy-eyed face.

But then the man said something that had Kurt turn around and stare at him, because it was a secret no-one knew. Absolutely no-one. Kurt hadn't even told his father. He'd only ever broached the subject… with Professor Anderson.

Reeling inside, Kurt gaped at the man in front of him, who was still talking to him, softly now, recounting Karofsky's death threat. And really, how could he know about that unless he _was_ Professor Anderson? But, if that was true, he'd basically just admitted to his teacher that he had a crush on him. Oh, great.

Kurt's heart started racing again, his ears rang and his hands went all clammy. He hardly noticed what came out of his mouth, or what Professor Anderson replied. He felt awful.

It took a joke from the professor about his naked state, and how Kurt was free to feast his eyes on him, for Kurt to snap out of his daze and laugh about the absurd situation.

"So what's the story, Professor?" Kurt asked, sitting down on the sofa. "How is it that you're a dog part-time?"

"Seriously, call me Blaine. We're friends, right? I know your darkest secret, and you're about to know mine, so call me by my first name, please."

Kurt nodded. "Blaine. Done. Now tell me."

Blaine chuckled. "Bossy. You've been bossy all week."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Pets don't belong on beds and sofas. Do you know what a pain it is to vacuum up all that hair they shed?"

"True. Been there."

"And that sauce you wanted to taste is bad for dogs," Kurt continued. "There's tons of stuff in there a dog can't digest."

"But it smelled so good!" Blaine protested.

"Stop deflecting," Kurt snapped.

Blaine threw his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "Okay, okay. So. My story."

And out poured an incredible tale of having been cursed by a rejected suitor to turn into a dog for a week whenever the guy thought of him.

"Okay, hold on, hold on," said Kurt. "This happened to you in high school? But that must be at least ten years ago!"

"Twelve, actually," Blaine clarified.

"And you still haven't been able to break the spell?" Kurt asked.

Blaine frowned and shook his head.

"You have tried, haven't you?" Kurt insisted. "Contacted people to sort it out for you?"

Blaine gaped at him.

Kurt huffed impatiently. "Blaine! You can't stay like this for the rest of your life. You have to get rid of that curse somehow."

Blaine shrugged. "I didn't even know there were people who could break a spell."

"Yes, well, they can't do miracles," Kurt sighed. "My mom ended up dying anyway."

"Your mom was cursed?" Blaine asked. "I mean… You told me she died when you were little, but I didn't know…"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. It was awful. I took ballet lessons. And one day, when my mom came to pick me up after class, I refused to take off the fairy wings I'd been dancing with, and my mom just rolled her eyes and let me wear them until I got home. We went for an ice cream, and in the ice cream parlour, there was this woman who ripped into my mom for allowing me to dress all girly. 'That's how you end up with a nasty fag for a son!'"

Blaine gasped.

"My mom, instead of getting angry, explained to her very calmly that she believed in letting children be whoever they wanted. 'And if that means he'll grow up to like boys, I'll be fine with that.'"

Blaine aww'ed.

"The woman didn't like that. At all. Her face went red and blotchy, and she started yelling at my mom again, who put her hands over my ears so that I wouldn't have to listen. But I wrestled free, just in time to hear the woman say to my mom, 'People like you shouldn't exist. You're what's wrong with America these days. Go and die a horrible death!'"

Blaine made a strangled kind of sound. He looked ashen pale. Kurt realised this story probably made Blaine relive his gay bashing, which had started with insults just like that one. But he forged on anyway, because Blaine had to understand what had happened.

"At that point, the owner of the ice cream parlour made the rude woman leave. Mom and I got our ice cream, and went home, and I forgot all about the woman. But then Mom got ill. And we went to the hospital, and she was diagnosed with cancer. But one of the nurses had second sight, and she told Mom that this was no ordinary disease. 'You've been cursed. There's this dark aura around you. Someone wishes you very ill.'"

Kurt took a deep, shuddering breath, and felt Blaine take his hand and squeeze it in comfort. He squeezed back, and then continued with his story.

"And then Mom thought of the woman from the ice cream parlour, of course. The one who'd told her to go die a horrible death. And she asked the nurse if anything could be done."

Now tears were rolling down Kurt's cheeks, but he paid them no mind.

"We went to tons of people who claimed they could help, but they all said the magic was too strong, and they advised us to sue the woman. So we did, and it cost my dad a lot of money, and it took years for the lawsuit to come to trial, and all the while my mom was just wasting away. The judge told the woman to take the curse off my mom, but she refused. Laughed, and said my mom had it coming. At that point, my mom was already dying. She was so weak and so ill. But that woman just laughed in her face. And she tried to curse my dad and me, too, but thankfully, the court hall was proofed against magic, and it just bounced off us. She was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, and stripped of her magic for life. My mom died two days after the verdict."

There was silence after that, except for Kurt's sniffles. Reliving his mom's death was still hard, even after all those years, and guilt swirled up in his gut again. If only he hadn't worn the fairy wings home… If only he hadn't asked for ice cream that day…

He felt a soft pressure against his cheeks, and looked up to find Blaine dabbing the moisture from his cheeks with a tissue.

"Hey…" Blaine said softly. "What happened to your mother is terrible. But you do know it's not your fault, right? The only one who's to blame is that awful woman."

"I know. I know, but…"

Blaine handed Kurt the tissue, and Kurt blew his nose in it.

Blaine took Kurt's hands in his, and looked him straight in the eye. "Your mother loved you the way you were. She wouldn't have changed a hair on your head. She was proud of you, and rightly so. And she wasn't afraid to teach people to broaden their mind. Seems to me like it wasn't the first time she'd defended your right to be yourself. Or somebody else's right. And there are always people who won't appreciate that. If she hadn't been cursed there and then, it might have happened at some other time. Maybe when you weren't even there to witness it. Don't take the blame for this, Kurt. Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to. It wasn't about you. Not really. It was two world views clashing, and that woman resorting to revolting methods to get the upper hand."

Kurt nodded, a fresh wave of tears hitting him and falling on his lap.

"Come here," said Blaine, and he enveloped Kurt in a hug.

Kurt's arms went up to hold Blaine, but when they encountered nothing but naked skin, Kurt drew back instantly. "Oh for goodness' sake, go put some clothes on!"

Blaine laughed and jumped off the sofa to head to his bedroom.

Kurt made a valiant attempt not watch his backside as he disappeared, but failed, just when Blaine looked over his shoulder and caught him perving.

Blaine smirked and winked, wiggling his tush for good measure. "Like what you see?"

Kurt glared at him. "Clothes! NOW!"

Blaine saluted him. "On it!"

When Blaine was gone, Kurt groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Thank heavens Blaine took his crush as a joke. Still, it was mortifying. And so unfair. A professor wasn't supposed to look so hot. Why couldn't Blaine have been a balding sixty-year-old with a pouch?

Kurt's mind supplied him with a visual of what Blaine would look like as a balding sixty-year-old with a pouch, and Kurt found himself smiling, because of course Blaine would still look adorable in thirty years' time. Why was he so appealing? Not. Fair.

Blaine returned to the living room a few minutes later, looking every inch the dapper professor again, but it was no use. Now that Kurt knew what Blaine looked like underneath, he couldn't get stop thinking about Blaine naked. Those biceps. Guh. His thighs. Ngh. His perky butt. Unf.

"Better?" Blaine asked, twirling around.

"Much," said Kurt.

"Now, tell me why you thought I was Elliott. Cause I really don't get it."

Kurt groaned again. "Must I? It's embarrassing."

Blaine shot him a cheeky grin and said, "Oh, yes, you must."

Kurt bit his lip and nodded. "Well, Elliott has magic abilities. Nothing major. But he has a few tricks up his sleeve. And he loves using them to prank others."

"Right."

"Anyway, remember how Professor Scher told me I was spending too much time one-on-one with you?" Kurt continued. "And how, after that, I didn't dare talk to you at all anymore?"

That wiped the grin of Blaine's face, and he nodded.

"Well, my friends thought I was being ridiculous," Kurt said. "They all know about my crush on you, and they all keep egging me on to make a move. Especially Elliott. So one day, he shape-shifted into you, and tugged me into an empty classroom to serenade me and then declare his love for me. He probably expected me to start kissing him or something. But I was thunderstruck, and I just stood there, gaping. So after a few moments, he changed back into himself, and yelled, 'April Fools!' I just about jumped out of my skin with fright, and I railed at him until he slunk away with his tail between his legs."

Blaine laughed. "I wish I could have seen that. What song did he sing?"

Kurt thought hard. "It was a Queen song. Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

"Niiiice!" Blaine drawled.

Kurt glared at him, and Blaine laughed again. "Sorry, sorry. No more teasing, I promise. Well, for today, that is."

Before Kurt could get angry, his phone buzzed, reminding him that he had dogs to walk. "Right. Duty calls. I'm taking a few dogs to the park. Can I leave my suitcase here while I'm out working? I'll come fetch it after this evening walk and I'll be out of your hair in a minute."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "Mind if I come with you? We have more to talk about. And don't worry about the suitcase. It's in nobody's way."

Ten minutes later, Kurt was holding Snowball's and Summer's leashes, and Blaine had Titus'.

"This is different," Blaine laughed. "Usually I'm one of them."

Kurt smiled. "Yes, it must feel weird to you. They took to you quickly, though, so I guess they recognise you as Devon to some degree. You must smell similar."

"I love playing with them," Blaine confessed. "It's one of the best parts of being a dog. Well, that and being petted, of course."

Kurt felt his cheeks redden, thinking of him unconsciously petting a naked Blaine that afternoon, and even touching his dick.

"Of course, now that you know that I'm actually a human, you won't ever want to pet me again, right?" Blaine asked, pouting at Kurt.

Kurt's eyes went wide. "You… You want me to look after you again? You wouldn't mind?"

"Mind what?"

"That I clean up after you when you do your business in the park," Kurt said. "That I pet you, fully knowing that you're a human being trapped in a dog's body. That wouldn't bother you at all?"

"No, why would it? You're my friend. I'd rather have you looking after me than a complete stranger. In fact, I wanted to ask… Now that you're in the know, would you consider becoming my roommate and looking after me during my dog phases? I'd pay you for it. The same rate I've paid the agency for this week's dog-sitting, but the whole month through, 'cause you'd always be on stand-by."

They arrived at the park, and Kurt took his time taking the dogs' leashes off and petting them before they ran off, mulling Blaine's offer over in his head.

It was tempting, no doubt about it.

"I could tell the agency I want to go back to dog-walking," Kurt mused out loud. "You wouldn't mind me walking other dogs, would you?"

"Not at all," said Blaine. "I'd even come with you and help. I can always use more exercise."

Kurt threw him a long look. "Somehow, I doubt that. You pack a lot of muscle."

"I box."

Wow. Now Kurt imagined Blaine all sweaty, pounding into a boxing bag with an intense face. Oh, yum.

"Earth to Kurt!" Blaine laughed, waving a hand in front of Kurt's face.

Kurt's cheeks heated up again, and he mumbled a "Sorry!"

Blaine nudged his shoulder against Kurt's. "No need to apologise. It's flattering."

Kurt bit his lip and looked away.

"So you'll do it?" Blaine grinned, and he jumped up and down like an excited toddler.

Kurt couldn't help smiling widely at him – oh, he was so far gone! And living together would only make that worse. But whatever. He'd do it. He'd take what he could get. It was okay if that was only friendship.

So he nodded slowly. "I'm in."


	9. Chapter 8: Thanksgiving

**Author's Note:**

 **This is again from Blaine's point of view. A bit of a filler chapter, this one. The next one will be juicier :-)**

 **Warning for a brief mention of Finn dying.**

 **This chapter is unbetaed, because once again, I procrastinated writing it and my lovely beta hkvoyage hasn't read it yet, seeing as I've only just finished writing the last sentence... Updating weekly is proving quite a challenge!**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)**

Chapter 8: Thanksgiving

Blaine had been so scared of Kurt finding out his secret, but now that it was out in the open, he felt lighter and freer than he had in years.

There was no judgment from Kurt's end whatsoever, and he knew about magic, and even about people who could break a curse, apparently. Well, that was interesting, and worth looking into. But Blaine forgot about it quickly when Kurt told him how his mother had been cursed.

As Blaine listened, it struck him how small and vulnerable Kurt looked, every inch that little boy again who missed his mom. Blaine scooted a little closer and took Kurt's hand in his to provide some comfort. The pain in Kurt's eyes didn't recede, but his spine straightened, and his words came out more readily, and a bit louder.

The story ended with Kurt's mother dying, and Kurt crumpled again. There was more than pain in his eyes now, and when he refused to look Blaine straight in the eye, it was pretty clear what the matter was. Kurt felt guilty. Guilty because a homophobic woman had cursed his mom.

Blaine took a tissue from the box on the coffee table, and dried Kurt's tears while he reasoned with him, trying to make him see that the fault wasn't his. Kurt nodded, but kept sobbing soundlessly. It broke Blaine's heart to see him that way. Kurt was usually such a positive presence in his life, vibrant and unique, such a sharp contrast to the broken boy now crying his heart out next to Blaine.

What could Blaine do to make Kurt feel better? In the end, he moved in for a hug. It did not have the comforting effect he'd intended, since he was still naked, and the reminder of that shocked Kurt, but it did make Kurt stop crying, so Blaine counted it as a win.

Kurt made Blaine go put on some clothes, and after that, they went outside to walk the dogs Blaine usually joined for play time at the park. It was weird, suddenly being a human alongside Kurt, and holding one of the dogs' leashes instead of trotting next to them and challenging Snowball to a race. Blaine liked it, though. He liked the family feel of it, as if the dogs were theirs, and they went for an evening stroll together every day.

Blaine found himself wishing this could be his reality. If things had been different, if he'd never been cursed, this was what Blaine would have liked to have. A family. Just thinking about it hit Blaine with a fierce stab of longing. He wanted this. He wanted more than a lonely existence, always worrying about when the curse would strike next. He wanted Kurt next to him, capable and comforting and so compatible with Blaine, in spite of their age difference. What was it about Kurt that made Blaine feel so at home with him?

And then it came to Blaine. Kurt was a dog-sitter now. Would he consider becoming Blaine's dog-sitter full-time? It would be pricey, but Blaine had more money than he could spend in a lifetime anyway. But perhaps Kurt was like Trent and would shy away from Blaine in his dog form now that he knew there was a human trapped inside. Would he?

He broached the subject with Kurt, and after some deliberation, Kurt agreed to move in with him and look after him any time he turned into a dog, on the condition that he'd still get to walk other dogs. Well, that was no problem.

Happy as a clam now, Blaine threw a tennis ball for the dogs to catch and did a silly dance waiting for them to return.

Kurt snorted. "Dork!"

Blaine beamed at him. "No take-backs! You promised to stay, so you're stuck with me now."

Kurt's eyes softened. "I wasn't going to take it back. I like you being dorky. You're never afraid to be yourself."

Blaine nodded, crouching down to take the tennis ball from Snowball, pet the dog and throw it again. "There's nothing more bad-ass than being yourself."

Kurt snorted again, cuddling Titus, who made no move to chase the tennis ball but stayed close to Kurt. "You sound like this guy I know from high school. Called himself Puck."

"You should tell me about him sometime," Blaine said, grinning ear to ear at the thought of having Kurt to talk to every morning and every evening. "And what was that about Rachel and a curse breaking her heart?"

As soon as he'd asked, he wished he could take it back and duct-tape his mouth shut for good measure, because his question sniffed out the amused glimmer in Kurt's eyes, and left them haunted again.

Kurt absent-mindedly stroked Titus's fur, looking blankly ahead. "Rachel… We were in high school together, I told you. And we crushed on the same guy, have I ever told you that?"

"No. You only told me about Karofsky."

Kurt nodded and let out a sigh that seemed to come straight from his toes. "Well… Rachel and I… We weren't friends back then. Not really. And we both crushed on Finn."

Blaine frowned. "As in… your stepbrother? Who died?"

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed, accepting a tennis ball from Snowball with a murmur of praise and offering him a dog treat. "Only he wasn't my brother yet at that point. Anyway, Rachel and Finn ended up dating, but they had this on and off kind of relationship. And during one of the off moments, she met Jesse. And fell for him. But she still had feelings for Finn, too. And she made this music video, oh God, it was bad, where the both of them sang with her. Plus Puck, but that doesn't really matter now. And Jesse felt hurt. Like… Like Rachel had cheated on him by singing with other guys. So he broke up with her, and he shouted, 'We're over. There. Now you can be with Finn, like you wanted. I hope you know that you and Finn will NEVER be happy together. NEVER!' And then he stormed out. They were quite the dramatic pair, Rachel and Jesse. Never a dull moment with them."

"Wow," said Blaine. That was more drama than the Warblers had ever been through, to his knowledge.

"And then about a year ago, Finn died," Kurt continued. "And we were all devastated. We still are. But I remember Rachel, during one of our crying sessions at the loft, sitting up straight all of a sudden and going, 'It's Jesse! It's all his fault! He told me we'd never be happy together! He cursed Finn!' And I gaped at her, 'cause it hadn't felt like magic at all, that day in the choir room. But Rachel kept insisting it had been a curse, and even went to a curse breaker to verify it, but there were no traces of magic on her. So she said the curse must only have hit Finn. I don't know. She could be right."

"Wow," Blaine repeated. A wet nose nudged him, and he looked down to see that Snowball was offering the tennis ball to him this time around. He petted the dog and then threw the ball as far as he could.

"I know, right?" Kurt sighed. "Elliott thinks magic is heaps of fun, but in my experience, it's only ever caused bad stuff to happen."

"My… furry problem is the only brush I've had with magic."

Kurt snorted. "Furry problem? A Harry Potter nerd, are we?"

"Hey, you recognised it, so who's the nerd here?" Blaine countered.

Bickering companionably, they called the dogs to them and went home.

K&B

Living with Kurt was easy. They both had a full schedule, but it worked out so that on days that Blaine was home late, Kurt had the time to cook in the evening, and when Kurt was at R/GA until six and had to walk dogs straight after, Blaine made sure he had dinner ready by the time Kurt came home.

On weekends, they walked the dogs together, while sharing more about their lives and family and friends. There were never any awkward silences with Kurt. They never seemed to run out of topics to talk about, and every facet of Kurt that Blaine discovered made him like Kurt more.

Still, he couldn't help but compare this situation to living with Trent, sometimes, and it always made him feel awful that Trent had left in high dudgeon and hadn't contacted him since. Was he still mad at Blaine?

He brought it up with Kurt, who rolled his eyes and said, "If he won't call you, why don't you take the initiative? It's a two-way street. If you miss him so much, call him, go on."

But Blaine, however often he scrolled to Trent's name in his list of phone contacts, and however many texts he composed, always chickened out on calling or texting his friend. What if Trent didn't want anything more to do with him? He didn't think he could bear that.

K&B

Kurt was very close to his dad, and would call him twice a week without fail. When Kurt had moved in with Blaine, Burt had insisted on "meeting" Blaine through FaceTime, and had questioned him thoroughly.

"You're not… taking advantage of Kurt, are you?" Burt asked.

Blaine was quick to say no. "I would never!"

"Cause the kid has a crush on you the size of Texas," Burt explained, while Kurt, behind Blaine, hissed out an affronted "Dad!"

"What? It's true, kiddo, and your guy should know it, if you're living with him."

Kurt sighed. "Blaine does know. I told him. And he doesn't mind, do you, Blaine?"

Blaine smiled and confirmed that it made no difference to him whatsoever, but that didn't make Burt lighten up in the slightest. If anything, his scowl deepened.

"So why do you wanna live with my kid anyway?" Burt wanted to know, and Blaine felt like he had no other option than to tell the truth, and explained haltingly about the curse.

"So basically he's going to be looking after you as long as he's at Parsons?" Burt asked.

Blaine hadn't thought so far ahead, but nodded. "I'll be paying him!"

"You'd better," Burt growled. "And don't you dare lead him on and break his heart."

Kurt had interjected here with another "Dad!" and had taken his laptop to his bedroom, telling Burt off for scaring Blaine.

After that first FaceTime call, Burt hadn't asked to talk to Blaine again, until in early November, Kurt came into the living room and sat down next to Blaine on the sofa, shoving his laptop half onto Blaine's lap so that he could see Burt and his wife Carole on the screen.

"So, uhm, Blaine," Burt said, "I wanted to ask what your plans are for Thanksgiving. Are you coming to Ohio? Kurt mentioned you're from these parts."

Blaine was a bit taken aback. He hadn't discussed the holidays yet with Pam. Usually, Pam split the holidays, spending Thanksgiving with Cooper and then Christmas with Blaine, or vice versa. Cooper didn't know about the curse, and Blaine didn't want him to find out ever, since Coop couldn't keep a secret to save his life. So Blaine hadn't seen Cooper in over a decade, and he only rarely went to Ohio, his mother usually choosing to come to NYC and shop.

"I don't know yet, sir, I need to ask my mom."

"Well, we'd love to have you here for Thanksgiving. And you can bring your mom, if you like. The more the merrier."

Carole nodded enthusiastically. "I'm looking forward to meeting you for real. I've heard so much about you."

Blaine promised to discuss it with his mother, and Kurt went to his bedroom again for the rest of his conversation with his parents.

When Kurt came back to the living room, he sank down on the sofa with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shrugged. "My dad wants me home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, like the previous years. The thing is, I already splurged to fly to Ohio this summer, and I'm taking all these extra classes now, so I don't have any money to spare for plane tickets. So either I'm going to have to take on extra dog walking assignments, and then I'll fall behind with my schoolwork, or I'm going to have to drive to Ohio instead of flying, which is exhausting and leaves me less time with my family."

"I'll pay for the plane tickets," Blaine said. "It's the least I can do now that your dad has invited me over for the holidays. No, no, don't protest. Let me do this for you, please, in return for you looking after me whenever I turn into a dog."

"You're paying me for that already!" Kurt protested.

"Well, consider it your holiday bonus, then," Blaine suggested.

Kurt shook his head, but made no more objections, a small smile playing on his lips. "It will be nice to go home. You can stay in Finn's room. And help me and Carole make Thanksgiving dinner."

Blaine beamed at Kurt. "That sounds great."

When Blaine called his mother about her holiday plans, she was very interested to hear Kurt's family had invited him for Thanksgiving. "Are you dating this Kurt now? I thought he was a student of yours? That you payed to dog-sit?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at his mom and said there was nothing going on between him and Kurt. He had a feeling he'd be telling her that often.

Pam had no objection to Blaine coming to Ohio. "I'm in LA with Cooper for Thanksgiving, but I'll be back by Saturday. If you stay the whole weekend, you and Kurt could come over for dinner on Sunday, before you fly back to New York."

So that was Thanksgiving sorted out. Blaine booked their plane tickets and consulted Kurt about the perfect hostess gift for Carole. "Belgian chocolates, maybe? There's this shop that sells not just Neuhaus, but also The Chocolate Line and even Sweertvaegher. Or maybe an assortment of delicacies? Or, you said Carole loves to cook, so maybe a kitchen accessory she doesn't already have?"

Kurt just shrugged and told Blaine not to sweat it. "Carole's not expecting anything. So whatever you bring will be a lovely surprise for her."

Kurt was quite right about that. When they arrived at Kurt's childhood home and Blaine offered his hostess gift to Carole, her eyes went wide, and she took out each item he'd bought her at the delicatessen with so much reverence and awe that he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Blaine, you shouldn't have," she whispered. "This is too much."

"Seeing as I'll be staying here for the entire weekend, I'd say it's not enough," Blaine countered. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

"Oh, you're very welcome, honey. Any friend of Kurt's is always welcome here, and you're more than just a friend, aren't you?"

Blaine didn't quite know how to answer that question, but Kurt swooped in to hug Carole and told her to stop fishing. "We're not together, I told you that. Treat Blaine like he's… Sam. Or Mike."

"Haven't you had crushes on the both of them, too?" Burt asked slyly, and Kurt groaned.

"My point is that they're friends of mine," Kurt explained. "Just friends, and never going to be more than friends, 'cause they're straight."

"But Blaine is gay, isn't he?" Burt pressed on.

Blaine nodded. "I'm gay."

"See?" Burt crowed.

Kurt rolled his eyes and hissed at Blaine, "Not. Helping!"

To his dad, he said, "Yes, he's gay. That doesn't mean he's into me. Gay men can be just friends."

Blaine smiled at him.

Burt fixed the both of them with a piercing look. "Hmmpf. We'll see."

Kurt moaned about his dad embarrassing him a million more times that weekend, but Pam proved to be just as bad on Sunday, showing Kurt Blaine's baby pictures and telling him all sorts of anecdotes about Blaine as a child.

"And I was pouring Mrs Islington more tea when Blaine came storming in, dressed only in a cape he'd made from his comforter, and screaming at the top of his lungs that our house was on fire and that we all had to get out. And all the ladies panicked and hurried out of the dining room before I could tell them that my son was only playing Superman. Well, you can imagine I wasn't too pleased with our little streaker here. So he had to do without television and without dessert for two weeks."

"Moooom…"

But one look at Kurt, giggling his head off, his grin wide enough to show all his teeth, shut Blaine up and made him smile right back at Kurt.

Pam brought them to the airport that afternoon, and they were having coffee at Starbucks waiting for the boarding to start when Blaine felt a tell-tale skin prickle. "Oh, no! It's starting again! I need to get to the restroom!"

Minutes later, he heard a knock on the cubicle he was hiding in. "Blaine? I'm here."

Blaine stopped blocking the door and trotted out. Kurt picked up Blaine's clothes and shoes and put them in a canvas bag.

"Come here, sweetie, I need to put your collar on," Kurt whispered, and quick as a flash, he fastened the collar around Blaine's neck and then attached a leash to it, leading Blaine out of the restroom.

"We're not going to be able to fly home," Kurt continued, louder now. "I'm going to rent a car instead."

Blaine stopped short. Driving to New York City? That would take eight hours at the very least! And Blaine couldn't take over halfway!

Kurt crouched down and hugged Blaine. "Don't panic, sweetheart. I've done this before. I don't really like driving that far, but I can do it. No worries. I'm just glad you didn't transform on the plane. That would have been hard to explain. Has that ever happened before?"

Blaine shook his head. He'd never even thought of that, travelling by plane without a care in the world. But in hindsight, yes, transforming mid-flight had always been a distinct possibility. And he wasn't a tiny dog that could be hidden in Kurt's backpack. He shuddered to think of how the flight attendants might react to a stowaway dog in the cabin, and felt Kurt's embrace tighten in response.

"We really need to break this curse," Kurt sighed. "I asked my dad to make appointments with the curse breakers he took my mom to, so that we can go see them during our Christmas break."

Blaine looked up at Kurt in surprise. In all the years that Trent had looked after him, he'd only ever devised ways of dealing with the consequences of the curse. Trent seemed resigned to the curse. Kurt clearly wasn't. He seemed determined to break it. Would he succeed? Was there hope for a normal life for Blaine?

Kurt rubbed Blaine behind the ears. "We'll sort this out. I promise you. Come, let's go rent a car and go home. We both have class tomorrow."

Blaine felt his tail wag like mad as he followed Kurt, new hope blooming in his heart and new nerves fluttering in his belly. Would Alexei have left a loophole in the curse? Or would he crack down hard on Blaine and anyone helping him to break it?


	10. Chapter 9: A Fighting Chance

Author's Note:

This is again from Kurt's point of view. And you're finally going to find out what it's going to take to break the dog spell!

This chapter is unbetaed, because once again, I procrastinated writing it and my lovely beta hkvoyage hasn't read it yet, seeing as I've only just finished writing the last sentence… I've been too busy to write this weekend, seeing as klaineship2 has come to visit me :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

A note to the guest reviewer who wondered if I'd abandoned Weave Your Magic: No, I haven't, and I promise you I won't! I update only twice a year at most nowadays, but I am continuing the story.

Chapter 9: A Fighting Chance

It felt a bit weird at first, calling the professor by his first name, and living in his apartment. Kurt kept pinching himself to ascertain that this was real, especially that first morning, when he padded into the living room still half-asleep and found Blaine exercising to a workout video, wearing the skimpiest shorts Kurt had ever seen, and a black muscle shirt that showed off his arms. Kurt stopped in his tracks and just stared with his mouth wide open, until Blaine noticed him and winked. "Come join me?"

Kurt snapped his mouth shut. "I need to go walk some dogs. You're up early."

Blaine flashed him a smile. "Always. I crash at nine thirty at the latest, and I'm up with the birds."

Kurt groaned. "Oh great, I'm living with a _morning person_ again!"

That made Blaine laugh out loud. "I made coffee, if that helps?"

"Oh, yes," Kurt moaned, making a beeline for the kitchen, where he filled up his travel mug with coffee, taking a long sip before he closed it and humming happily.

Blaine followed him. "I can make you breakfast, too, if you tell me what you want?"

Kurt's stomach rumbled, but he shook his head. "No time. I always make myself a packed breakfast to eat on the way or in the park."

He took the box out of the fridge and put it in his backpack after taking out a sandwich and wolfing it down in three bites.

Before he left the apartment, he gave an awkward wave and said bye. Blaine, who'd resumed his exercising, waved back with a smile.

The rest of the weekend was spent comparing their schedules, figuring out how to divide the household tasks and stocking up on groceries for next week's meals. Oh, and reassuring Burt, who was apprehensive about Kurt moving in with someone nearly ten years his senior, and wouldn't believe there was nothing going on between them. Burt fired off a barrage of questions at Blaine, who never even blinked, and didn't seem intimidated by Burt's glare in the slightest.

Blaine had taken to accompanying Kurt on his scheduled dog walks, chatting his ear off, and Kurt delighted in uncovering new information about Blaine. His brother was an actor! He played five instruments and used to be in his school's show choir!

Blaine wanted to know about Kurt, too. He was endlessly interested in Kurt's childhood, his mom, his dad, his friends, his favourite food, his taste in music and books and TV series, encouraging Kurt to talk himself hoarse about it all.

At school, the first week, Professor Scher accosted Kurt in the hallway again and steered him into her office. "I heard from Blaine that you're living with him now. I'm so glad. He needs someone to look after him when he turns into a dog."

Kurt, taken of guard, started babbling. "You… You know about… You… don't mind?"

"Oh, psh," said the professor. "The two of you belong together. Anyone can see that. But as I said, keep it on the down-low."

Kurt blinked at her. "We're not… together, Professor. Just… living together."

"Oh, that will come in time," Professor Scher predicted. "Tell Sebastian to call me, okay? I want him to come talk about R/GA here at school again."

Kurt promised he'd ask and then scurried off.

Thankfully, everybody else at school assumed he was still working as a dog-sitter, and just asked if he'd found a new place to stay. "Oh, you get to stay longer this time? That's great. Moving all the time must be such a pain."

K&B

After a few weeks, Kurt fell into a comfortable routine. In spite of his graphic design minor and his internship at R/GA, he felt like he had more breathing room than last year. Of course, it helped that he lived a short walk away from school and from the R/GA offices now. It helped that he had Blaine at home to help him with any school-related questions he had. And it helped that on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Blaine had dinner on the table the minute Kurt came home.

Kurt wasn't used to living with someone who could cook, actually enjoyed cooking, and took that task out of his hands. Burt was a slapdash cook, throwing together ingredients and hoping it would turn out edible. Carole was an excellent cook, but only cooked when Kurt wasn't at home. She left the kitchen to her stepson anytime he visited. And Rachel was an out-and-out disaster, who had been banned from the stove and the oven after she nearly started a kitchen fire during their first evening at the loft.

Blaine, however, was a gourmet chef, producing cheese soufflés lighter than air, osso bucco that melted in your mouth, and quiches and lasagnes that were golden perfection. Anything he made smelled and tasted so good that Kurt took seconds and begged him for the recipe.

He wasn't a food snob, though. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kurt cooked, and it was nothing special, just a stir fry or pasta with sauce, but Blaine tucked in as if it was the best thing he'd ever eaten and complimented Kurt.

And on weekends, they cooked and baked together, and proved to be a good team.

Kurt loved his new housing arrangements, though it worsened his crush by the day, and he believed that Blaine was happy with his new housemate too. Blaine still pined after Trent, though. Kurt wasn't entirely sure what their relationship had been, but it had clearly ended on a bad note, and Blaine kept beating himself up about it, blaming himself for the radio silence between him and his 'friend'. When Kurt suggested that he contact Trent again, though, Blaine got a deer-in-the-headlights look and shut up about it. Scared of confrontation, was he? Kurt filed that away in his Blaine database.

K&B

When the holidays approached, Kurt wasn't surprised that his dad expected him to come to Ohio. What did surprise him was that Burt wanted Blaine to come, too. "I want to meet him for real, son. See with my own eyes that he treats you right. Nah, don't roll your eyes at me, let me ask him."

"Dad!"

"What? I'm just being neighbourly, inviting my son's housemate so that he's not alone for the holidays," said Burt. "And you said he's from Ohio too, so he can visit his family while he's here. Let me invite him, go on."

The invitation surprised Blaine, that was clear, but he seemed to appreciate it, and after conferring with his mother, he agreed to come.

To Kurt's amusement, Blaine stressed out more about finding a gift for Carole than about meeting Burt. However, Kurt's grin slid off his face as he realised that was one more sign of Blaine friend-zoning Kurt. Yes, they got along splendidly, and living with Blaine was everything Kurt could have wished for, but he needed to remember that he'd never get more than this.

Every day, he fell for Blaine harder, to the point where it had become so much worse than a crush. Kurt was actually in love with him now, though Blaine had never shown the slightest inkling of being interested in Kurt that way. Maybe he was still hung up on Trent? Maybe Kurt just wasn't his type? Whatever the reason, Kurt would not get his happily-ever-after, and needed to guard his heart.

It wasn't easy, though, when everything Blaine did endeared him more to Kurt. He was endlessly attentive, affectionate and nice, and it was hard for Kurt to keep in mind Blaine didn't like him as more than a friend when he kept hugging and cuddling up to Kurt, remembered how Kurt took his coffee, made his favourite dishes and brought home his favourite dessert.

Kurt shook it off by telling himself that Blaine must have taken over a few characteristics of the dog he kept turning into, and that this was just Blaine showing his loyalty and eagerness to please.

 _Don't get your hopes up. Don't you dare!_

K&B

Thanksgiving was lovely. Carole happily surrendered the kitchen to Kurt and Blaine, and together, they whipped up a mouth-watering dinner.

Burt went out of his way to embarrass Kurt, though, convinced that there was something going on between him and Blaine, and not letting up about it.

Blaine's mother proved to be just as bad, treating Kurt as if he was her son-in-law already.

However much Kurt appreciated her ready acceptance of him, It stung a little, too, because the relationship Pam took for granted was just a figment of her imagination, and no amount of wishing on Kurt's part would make it real.

The plane trip back to New York turned into a road trip when Blaine turned into a dog at the airport, and by the time they arrived at Blaine's apartment, Kurt was exhausted, and determined to find a way to break that blasted curse. He'd already asked his dad to contact the people who'd tried to help his mom, way back. If that didn't help, Kurt would go see the guy who'd cursed Blaine himself.

Accordingly, during their Christmas break, Kurt and Blaine found themselves in the parlour of one curse breaker after another, but they weren't of any more use than they had been to Kurt's mom.

"I'm sorry, this curse is too strong. Who did you say cast it?"

And when Blaine told them it had been Alexei Zakharov, they recoiled and pushed him out the door as fast as they could, fear in their eyes.

So three days after Christmas, early in the morning, while Blaine was having breakfast in the kitchen with Carole, Kurt came downstairs dressed in his warmest clothes and toting a suitcase, and told his dad he was going to try and sort out this curse himself.

"I've found Mr Zakharov on the internet. He lives in Saint Petersburg. I'm going to confront him and ask him to break the curse."

Burt gripped Kurt's arm. "Kurt, no! I don't want this guy to curse YOU!"

Kurt looked Burt straight in the eye. "I have to do this, Dad. I have to. Look after Blaine while I'm gone, will you?"

With that, Kurt wheeled his suitcase down the hall and let himself out.

Behind him, he heard an anguished whisper of his name, but he squared his shoulders and didn't look back.

K&B

It took almost a day to get to Saint Petersburg. Kurt stumbled out of the plane as a sleep-deprived wreck, but once arrived at his hotel, he only dropped off his suitcase and strode out again. He was determined to get the curse sorted out first. He could nap after.

Kurt found the headquarters of the company where Mr Zakharov worked, and waited outside the office building for him to come out. He'd memorised the picture he'd found online so that he would recognise him, and sure enough, a few minutes past five, he saw the man walking out the door.

"Mr Zakharov?" Kurt called.

The man turned around, sizing him up. "You're American."

"Yes."

"What do you want with me?" Mr Zakharov asked.

Kurt hesitated, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "Can we talk somewhere more private, please?"

Mr Zakharov let out a booming laugh. "Are you propositioning me?"

Kurt flushed, his eyes going wide. "No!"

That made the man throw his head back and laugh even harder, slapping his thigh. When he'd gotten over his bout of hilarity, he said, "No need to look so scared, boy, I was just joking."

Kurt exhaled shakily. "Oh…"

"I'm heading home right now, so you can come with me," Mr Zakharov continued.

Kurt nodded and fell into step with him. They turned left and stopped at a house with a bright blue door.

"This is me," said Mr Zakharov, and he took out a chain holding at least a hundred keys, finding the right one without even looking.

Kurt followed him in, and then to a sitting room with more doilies than he'd ever seen together, even at his great-aunt's. He sat down gingerly on an armchair, and looked at Mr Zakharov, trying to figure out where to start.

"You wanted to talk to me?" the man prompted.

"Yes. I… I need to know how to break a spell."

Well, that was blunt, and to the point, but Kurt figured that a guy who'd taken umbrage at being led on for half a year would appreciate directness.

Mr Zakharov's eyebrows rose. "A spell? Who cast it?"

"You did," said Kurt.

Now the man's eyebrows hit his hairline. "А тебе не занимать мужества, малыш!"

"Sorry?" Kurt asked.

"You've got guts, kid!" Mr Zakharov translated. "Stepping up to me to ask how to break one of my spells - the nerve of you! I've struck people dead for less!"

Kurt's eyes widened, but he stayed put, pulling his shoulders back and looking straight at Mr Zakharov. "I meant no offense, sir."

The man's expression softened. "You're lucky you seem so innocent. Plus that I'm curious. What was the curse? What is it you want to turn back? You want to stop someone from dying? Or bring them back from the dead?"

Kurt's mouth fell open. "Can you do that?"

Mr Zakharov smirked. "For the right price, I might."

Kurt gaped at him some more, but this was not about his mom, nor did he think she could be brought back after so many years. So he soldiered on. "No, it has nothing to do with life and death. It's a dog spell."

That was clearly not what Mr Zakharov had been expecting him to say, but it took him only seconds to catch on. "Blaine!"

Kurt nodded.

The man in front of him clenched and unclenched his fists, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and it took a few minutes for him to speak again. "So he's into children these days, is he?"

Kurt's puzzled expression sparked a fit of laughter, and only when it had subsided did Mr Zakharov explain his remark. "He's dating you now? What are you, sixteen?"

Kurt squashed his indignation and replied, "I'm twenty, sir. And no, I'm not dating Blaine Anderson."

Mr Zakharov looked as though he was close to laughing again. "But you'd certainly like to. Why else would you be here on his behalf?"

Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his armchair.

Again, the man's laugh boomed through the room. "Up to his old tricks, is he, Blaine? Making you feel like you're the only boy in the world to him and then friend-zoning you?"

That felt uncomfortably close to the truth, so Kurt bit his lip and said nothing.

"Aww, you're too precious," the man sniggered. "He's never going to fall for you, you know that, right? You're just wasting your time."

Kurt nodded and then ducked his head. He did know that. He'd always known it. But it wasn't like that made any difference to him. He wanted to help Blaine. Get that curse lifted. He didn't expect anything from Blaine in return. That was not how love worked. If you loved someone, you had to set them free, right? Even if it broke your heart.

By the time Kurt felt composed enough to look up again, Mr Zakharov's eyes had lost their teasing glint. He looked at Kurt intently. "You may look like a kid, but you're really not. You have more strength in you than meets the eye, and the purest heart of anyone I've ever met. Which is why I'm going to give you a fighting chance. You deserve that much."

Kurt mustered up a tiny smile. "Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me just yet," said the man. "I'm not going to make this easy on you. I'm going to give you two years, starting today. If in that time, you manage to make Blaine fall in love with you, the spell will be broken. Get Blaine to kiss you and mean it, and he'll never be a dog again."

Mr Zakharov sniggered. "True love's kiss and all that. In fact, I should give you until midnight on New Year's Eve, two years from now, then it's completely like a fairy tale. So you'll get two years and two days, kid. A bit more, since you're from America, and you're several hours behind."

Kurt nodded, and Mr Zakharov shook his head, chuckling and fiddling with his beard. "Who'd have known, I'm growing soft! I'm going to need to kill some people after this to prove that I'm still as fearsome as ever."

Kurt couldn't help but shiver, and that made the man laugh uproariously. "I wouldn't kill you, little one! I like you. You've got spunk. And you make me laugh. Now… Where was I? Oh, yes. If you don't manage to make Blaine fall for you, and let's face it, that's the more likely scenario, seeing as the guy's such an idiot at personal relationships…"

Mr Zakharov laughed again, but it sounded sharp this time, and there was something savage about his expression, showing that however long it had been, he still hadn't forgotten nor forgiven Blaine's rejection.

"If you fail," the man continued, "Blaine will become a dog permanently. For the rest of his life."

Kurt considered this. It wasn't likely that he'd succeed, but at least Blaine wouldn't die, not even in the worst case scenario. If Blaine turned into a dog for good, Kurt would look after him. He owed him that much.

So Kurt nodded. "That's fair. I accept your terms."

That made Mr Zakharov crack up once more. "So polite, hee, hee, hee!"

Kurt didn't see what was so funny, but at long last, the man got down to business, focussing his glittering dark eyes back on Kurt and flexing his fingers. "All right then…"

Mr Zakharov started chanting in what Kurt presumed to be Russian, wiggling his fingers at Kurt, who felt like squirming away, but forced himself to sit up straight and still until the magic was done.

"There!" the man said cheerfully. "Oh, and one more thing… You can't tell Blaine how his curse can be broken. And of course you can't go telling Blaine that you love him."

Kurt blanched. "I already have!"

Mr Zakharov raised an eyebrow. "You told him you were in love with him?"

"Yes."

"And what did he say?" the man inquired.

Kurt bit his lip. "He found it funny."

Mr Zakharov fixed Kurt with a stare again. "Hmm… Well, if he already knows, it won't make much difference if you mention it again, I guess. I hope for your sake that you succeed, but he doesn't deserve you. At all."

The man seemed indignant on Kurt's behalf, which would have been funny if Kurt hadn't been so scared of him.

Kurt thanked his host again politely, declined an offer of refreshment and got out of that house as fast as he could.

It wasn't until he was back in his hotel room that he lost it, shaking uncontrollably and weeping out all his pent-up emotions. He may not have shown it, but that confrontation had been nerve-racking from the beginning until the end.

Once he felt slightly better, he ordered room service. He wasn't hungry, per se, but he felt empty, and seeing as there was no-one around to hug him and make him feel better, he was going to fill the void with pizza and cake, so there. It was going to set him back a pretty penny, but no way was he going out again when people like Mr Zakharov roamed the streets here.

While he waited for his food to arrive, he thought of another way to make himself happy again – a phone call to his dad.

Burt picked up the phone after the first ring. "Kurt? What happened? Are you okay? Me and Blaine were having dinner when all of a sudden, pop, he becomes a dog. Wow, that was weird."

Kurt gasped. He hadn't thought of that, but of course Blaine had turned into a dog – Kurt had made Mr Zakharov think of him. "Let him run free in the back yard. I'll clean up his messes when I get back. You'll have to buy him dog food, though."

"He can't eat lasagne?" Burt asked.

"Dad, no! There's all sorts of things in that sauce that are bad for dogs, tomatoes and onions and stuff. Do you want to clean up puke all over the house?"

"Ah, no…" said Burt. "I'll go to the store first thing in the morning. What could I give him to eat for now?"

Kurt thought hard. "I bought extra ground beef to freeze in last time I went grocery-shopping, but I think I forgot to freeze it in. Can you check? It should be on the lowest shelf in the fridge."

"Uhm… Yep, there it is."

"Give Blaine about a quarter of that," Kurt instructed.

"Raw?" Burt asked.

"Yes."

Kurt heard some clinking and scraping, and then Burt was back. "Okay, done. And he seems to like it. So tell me what happened."

"Of course he likes it, this is like fine dining for a dog," Kurt explained.

"Quit stalling, son."

Kurt sighed. "Well, I went to see him, and we talked."

"He didn't curse you, did he?" Burt asked, a tremor in his voice.

Kurt was quick to reassure him. "No. He seemed to like me."

"And what did he say about the dog spell?"

Kurt hesitated. "It… It can be broken by true love's kiss."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then Burt said, "That easy?"

"What's easy about true love?" Kurt countered. "I don't think Blaine is quick to fall in love. And he doesn't notice it when other people fall for him. That's what got him into this mess in the first place. I told you about that."

"Still, he got off easy," Burt said.

"He only has two more years to do it, though," Kurt. "Then his time runs out."

"And then he dies?" Burt gasped.

"No, no! He won't die. He's just… going to stay a dog for the rest of his life."

"Huh. That's not too bad."

"No," Kurt agreed. "It's not."

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving something out?" Burt asked.

Kurt chuckled wetly. "You always know, don't you? I… I like Blaine. You know that."

"Course I do," Burt said. "I could see it all the way from New York, first time I Face-Timed with Blaine, and you were hovering behind him. Worst case of heart-eyes I've ever seen."

"Dad!" Kurt protested, hoping that Blaine wasn't listening in. "It was… obvious to Mr Zakharov too. So… It's me that Blaine has to fall in love with. Someone else won't do. And I can't tell Blaine how to break the curse."

"So everything will stay the same?" Burt asked. "You pining after Blaine and him not even noticing?"

Kurt took a deep breath. "Yeah. Basically, yeah."

"That sucks."

"Does it ever," Kurt agreed. "But that's life, I guess."

"If he can't see how amazing you are, he's an idiot," Burt said. "A nice one, but still an idiot."

"Dad!"

"Just saying it like it is, kiddo."

"I know, I know. But, Dad… He can't help not feeling any attraction to me anymore than I can help falling for men instead of women. It's not something you can force. Maybe he's asexual."

"He's a what now?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That means he's not attracted to anyone. Ever."

"Is that a thing?"

Kurt laughed. "Yes. It's a thing. Mind you, I'm not sure. But that could be the reason. He seems to like me well enough, but there's no spark."

"I see plenty of sparks between the two of you," Burt disagreed.

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, coming from my end. Not his. Now drop it, please, Dad."

Kurt's food arrived shortly after that, so he ended the phone call and started devouring everything as if he hadn't eaten for days.

When he crawled into bed a few hours later, he still felt empty, in spite of the phone call and the food.

 _Two years. I have two years. And two days. Why am I clinging onto this as if I stand a chance? That's just stupid. Blaine won't ever fall for me._


	11. Chapter 10: Rotten Timing

**Author's Note:**

 **This is again from Blaine's point of view. And you're probably going to be angry with him…**

 **This chapter is unbetaed, because let's face it, I'm unable to get the new chapter written in time to let my wonderful beta hkvoyage have a look at it before it's update day again… Instead, I write and write and write and then post the chapter in the nick of time. Yeah, time management is not my forte.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)**

Chapter 10: Rotten Timing

A month later, Blaine was staying with the Hudmel's again to celebrate Christmas, and he loved how at home they made him feel.

When he and Kurt arrived, Carole served them soup with home-made croutons for them to warm up and to tide them over until dinner, and then led them to the Christmas tree, encouraging them to add more decorations. Apparently, that was an old tradition, and Kurt started hanging ornaments in the tree while keeping up a running commentary about who had bought or made them and what made them special. There was an empty perfume bottle that had been Kurt's mother's, with a blue silk ribbon tied around it. Next to it was a child's hand-print on a round piece of clay. Not Kurt's, but Finn's, apparently.

"I still can't believe Finn ever had such tiny hands," Kurt said. "The guy was huge. He grew like a weed all through middle school and high school. Like he drank Ent-draughts every day."

Then there were three adorable Christmas angels made of clothes pegs.

"I started making those when I was five," Kurt explained. "With my mom. We made one every year. Until she died."

There were several popsicle stick ornaments with a picture inside, and Blaine smiled when he recognised Burt and his late wife on their wedding day, Kurt's mother looking heavily pregnant, Burt with a baby in his arms, and then a much younger Kurt, his grin showing gaps where his milk teeth had fallen out.

Blaine helped hang everything in the tree, and then draped a piece of left-over tinsel around his neck and batted his eyes at Kurt. "How do I look?"

"Like you're about to hop onto a Pride Parade float. Come and help me make Christmas cookies?"

Blaine grinned ear to ear and followed Kurt to the kitchen.

K&B

During their vacation, Kurt took Blaine to several curse breakers, asking them to break the dog spell. Blaine's hope that someone would be able to help him melted away bit by bit when one after another, they all proved useless, and even scared of Alexei.

Blaine hadn't really counted on his curse being broken, ever, so he dealt with the disappointment way better than Kurt, who recounted their appointments to Burt and Carole, and raged about every curse breaker who'd sent them away, calling them cowards and incompetents.

Blaine's attempts to pacify Kurt had no effect whatsoever. Quite on the contrary, it made him even angrier that Blaine was resigned to live his life waiting for the next dog phase to hit, and he glared at Blaine ferociously and stomped off to his room.

A few days after Christmas, Kurt was suddenly gone. Burt wouldn't say where to, but his shifty eyes and restless energy made Blaine anxious. A day and a half passed without any news from Kurt, and Blaine took to hovering around Burt, so intent on ferreting out the truth that he didn't notice turning into a dog until Burt gasped and pointed at him.

Blaine, who was sitting at the kitchen table, about to grab his fork and knife to tuck into his dinner, looked down and saw that he had paws again. With a sigh, he jumped off the chair.

"You… You really are…" Burt stammered, grabbing his heart.

Blaine hastened towards him and nuzzled his leg. _Please calm down. Please don't have a heart attack. Ugh, why is Carole at the hospital right now?! We need her here!_

Burt took a few deep breaths in and out, drank some water, and then patted Blaine on the head. "I'm fine, bud. No need to look so worried. You just gave me a scare, is all."

Blaine nodded.

"You're gonna need your collar, right? Kurt put it in the hallway. Just a sec."

Burt put the collar on Blaine, and then scratched his head, thinking hard. "Oh, and dog dishes! Kurt bought some, but where did he put them?"

Burt started to look for the dog dishes, and Blaine followed him. In the end, it was Blaine who found them, in the pantry, the same place where they kept them at home.

Burt was just filling one of the dishes with water for Blaine when the phone rang. Burt dropped the dish in the sink, splattering water everywhere, and ran to pick up the phone.

It proved to be Kurt. He told his dad not to let Blaine eat lasagne, and Blaine eyed his untouched plate mournfully. The alternative Kurt proposed was yummy too, though, and it took only half a minute for Blaine to wolf it all down. He looked at Burt. Could he persuade him to give him some more food? But Burt looked white as a sheet and scared, so Blaine moved closer to Burt and pricked up his ears to listen to the phone conversation.

It proved to be about Blaine's dog spell. Kurt had gone to see someone who could tell him how to break the curse. Apparently, it would take a kiss. True love's kiss. And Blaine only had two more years to make that happen, or he'd have to live out his life as a dog.

And then Kurt said two things that shook Blaine to the core. The man he'd gone to see was Alexei! And the man Blaine had to fall in love with was Kurt!

Reeling inside, Blaine plopped down on his belly.

Wow. Kurt always zigged when Blaine thought he would zag, but this was unexpected to a whole new level. Kurt was so brave to face Alexei. And this really went above and beyond what their friendship demanded.

Blaine had to face it: he'd vastly underestimated the depth of Kurt's feelings for him. All this time, Blaine had treated it like a mild crush, and teased Kurt about it every now and then. But Kurt's actions proved that it had to be more. So much more.

Burt pronounced Blaine an idiot, and he had a point there. Kurt defended Blaine, though, seeming so resigned to his love being unrequited that it smote Blaine's heart.

When Kurt hung up, Burt let out a deep sigh, and then stepped on Blaine's tail when he turned to go back to the kitchen. Blaine couldn't help howling in pain and curling into a tiny ball.

"Sorry, sorry!" Burt said. "I didn't see you there!"

Burt crouched down. "You okay?"

Blaine whimpered.

"You heard everything?" Burt asked.

Blaine nodded.

"Good. Seems like it's up to you now, bud. I know you can't hurry love or however that song goes, but I'm telling you I can see you guys being happy with each other. What you have with Kurt is special. It's more than just friendship, no matter how hard you try to kid yourself. So stop holding back, okay? What are you waiting for? Your Prince Charming? I'm telling you, my son is worth a dozen princes. And he loves you. The thing is, he's willing to wait for it. He's not going to push. But you need pushing, am I right or am I right? You don't see what's right in front of you. And those two years are going to be over in a flash, and then you'll be a dog and Kurt will be alone and you'll both be unhappy."

Blaine hung his head and sighed deeply.

Burt patted him on the head again. "So I'm going to tell you something you need to know. Love isn't a flash of lighting, telling you that this is the One. Love is something that has to grow, that you have to build. Like friendship. Like trust. You need to work on it. You need to be there for each other. You have to choose each other, over and over again, each day. You have to work as a team. You have to be open and honest. Be their strongest supporter, their confidant, their shoulder to cry on, their rock. If you can do all of that, I'm pretty sure that deeper connection will come, if it isn't there already. Give it a chance. An honest chance. Okay?"

Blaine nodded.

Burt shook his head. "Kurt's always been stubborn. Once his mind is made up, it stays made up. So when he told me he was going to live with a guy much older than him, I was scared. Yes, you're only sharing an apartment, nothing going on, bla, bla, bla… He can say that 'till he's blue in the face, but I can tell that it's more. At first, I was scared you were taking advantage of him. Now I'm scared that you'll keep stringing him along until your human days are over."

Blaine looked up at Burt and softly nudged his knee.

Burt removed his cap and ran a hand over his head. "Yes, yes, you can't force it, I know, and you're a good guy, I guess. But I'm worried about my son. If he's fool enough to spend money he doesn't have to travel across the world and go see a dangerous guy about your curse, then what else is he gonna do before your time runs out? He's gonna get himself killed! And all for nothing, if you don't get a move on. So please get over whatever hang-ups you have. Sort yourself out. And be there for Kurt. Don't close yourself off. You can do this. I know you can. Together, you'll figure it out."

Burt gave Blaine one last pat on his shoulder and then left for work, without Blaine this time, stopping halfway out the door to say over his shoulder, "Oh, the door to the back yard is never locked, so if you need to… go outside, you always can. You can reach the handle, right?"

Blaine was off like a shot to try it, and found that he could open the door. He slipped into the garden just long enough to do his business and then hurried inside again, out of the cold.

He'd barely slept the night before because he'd been worrying about Kurt, so he went to the living room to take a nap. He debated sleeping on the sofa, but decided against it, and just curled up on the rug in front of the wood stove.

He slept like the dead until he was woken up early in the morning by Carole gasping loudly and then saying, "Blaine?!"

He got up and trotted over to her, nuzzling her leg until her stiff stance loosened and she reached down to pet him.

"I know you said you turned into a dog from time to time," Carole said. "But seeing it for real… Gosh, it gave me quite a fright. I'm going to head off to bed. Go back to sleep, honey. Goodnight!"

When Kurt returned later that day, he looked exhausted and sad. Burt enveloped him in a tight bear hug and whispered fiercely in his ear. Blaine wished he could do the same, but he had to make do with putting his head on Kurt's knee as soon as he sat down with a sigh.

Kurt looked at Blaine with a barely-there smile. "Hey…"

"I'll heat up the rest of the lasagne for you," Burt offered, but Kurt shook his head, claiming he wasn't hungry, just tired.

Burt looked like he wanted to protest, but Kurt was gone before he could get a word out. Blaine hesitated, but then climbed the stairs to Kurt's room, nudging the door open. He found Kurt in the bathroom, applying face cream and crying soundlessly.

Blaine was with him in a flash, nuzzling Kurt's legs and whining.

Kurt looked down in surprise, and reached down to pet Blaine, lightly scratching under his chin. "Don't worry. I'll be fine tomorrow. I'm just… tired and moody."

Blaine stayed close to Kurt until he was ready for bed, and followed him into the bedroom, fully expecting Kurt to snap at him that he wasn't to jump on the bed.

He didn't, though. He got into bed, sighed deeply and then said, "All right, I guess just this once you can come up here and cuddle me. Maybe it will take my mind off things so I can get some sleep."

Blaine hesitated, cocking his head to the side, but Kurt only had to pat the space next to him on the bed once for Blaine to jump on it and cuddle up to Kurt, who put an arm around Blaine, mumbled a goodnight and was out like a light.

It took Blaine a bit longer. He studied Kurt's face, lax in sleep, and hiding those striking eyes, but no less lovely with his long lashes curling over his cheeks. Blaine's last thought before drifting off was, " _I could get used to this."_

K&B

They returned to New York two days later.

After the close shave they'd had the last time they came to Ohio, Kurt had looked into getting an assistance dog certificate online, and had bought one that said Kurt suffered from epilepsy. It didn't sit right with either of them to deceive people like this, but there was no denying this was by far the easiest solution. So this time, instead of Kurt driving all the way home, all they had to do was cancel Blaine's plane ticket and warn the airline that Kurt would be taking his service dog with him.

A further advantage of this was that they were first on the plane and then first off at arrival. No-one had questioned Kurt at all, though one of the stewardesses had mentioned she had never seen a Portie as a service dog before. "But I can see he's well-trained. Good boy!"

Once they were back home, Kurt threw himself into his work, walking dogs from sunup to sundown and in the evening working on his assignments for school until he fell asleep with his head on his laptop keyboard.

Then, Blaine would paw at him until he woke up with a start and plodded off to bed. Blaine took advantage of Kurt's loosened rules about dogs on the furniture, and cuddled up to him in bed.

As soon as Blaine had turned back into a human, he asked Kurt why he was taking on so many dog walking assignments. Kurt mumbled something about bills to pay, but refused to accept any money from Blaine.

Blaine was quite sure these bills had something to do with Kurt going to see Alexei, and felt guilty. Travelling to Russia must have set Kurt back a cool grand at least, Blaine estimated, so he wired a thousand dollars over to Kurt's bank account without saying a word about it to Kurt. After all, those expenses had been made to help him, so it was only right that Blaine foot the bill.

In addition to that, he made sure that Kurt got fed at regular intervals, and he nagged at him to go to sleep at a decent hour, promising Kurt a back rub if he went to bed right that minute.

Kurt's eyes went wide the first time Blaine proposed this, but then he shrugged and headed to his bedroom, where he flopped face-down on his bed with a groan. That was invitation enough for Blaine, who set to work.

Kurt had a nice back, he thought, digging his fingers into Kurt's neck to massage the tension out. Wide shoulders, muscles for days, and would you look at those biceps, yum!

He moved on to Kurt's spine, exerting pressure with the palms of his hands, and Kurt moaned when he reached his lower back, and slurred, "Yeah… Right there…"

Halfway through, Blaine felt Kurt going lax, and when he checked, he found Kurt fast asleep, his face serene. Blaine smiled and continued the back rub until he'd worked out a few more knots. Then he carefully extricated the comforter from under Kurt. As he was tucking him in, though, Kurt suddenly turned on his side and threw an arm over Blaine. Blaine tried to get out from under Kurt's embrace, but Kurt only tightened his grip and whined, struggling to open his eyes.

Blaine didn't want Kurt to wake up again – he needed all the sleep he could get – so he wriggled out of his pants, stripped off his sweater and polo shirt and slipped under the covers, too. He smiled when Kurt buried his face into his chest and hummed happily. Maybe Kurt would freak out the following morning, but for now, he was content, and getting a good night's sleep. That was the main thing.

Kurt did startle when he woke up, but he said nothing. He just blushed and got out of bed with his eyes averted. That night, though, he readily agreed to another back rub, taking his pants off first this time, "'cause they're so uncomfortable to sleep in." And so it became a habit for Blaine to sleep in Kurt's bed, holding him in his arms. Blaine, who'd always been a cuddle bug, loved this new arrangement, and Kurt's shy smile every morning when he opened his eyes seemed to indicate he did, too.

Blaine had been sleeping in Kurt's bed for about a week when he woke up one morning sweating like a pig. And no wonder. Kurt was lying on top of him, fast asleep, sniffling and red-cheeked and… burning up!

"Sweetie, wake up," Blaine urged Kurt, who made a disgruntled noise and turned onto his other side.

Since that left Blaine free to get up, he slipped out of bed and checked his medicine cabinet for a thermometer, vitamins and fever reducers, and then went to the kitchen to make tea with honey.

When he arrived back in the bedroom, Kurt was thrashing about wildly, clearly having a bad dream. Blaine put the tray on the desk and tried to soothe him, but got a kick in the gut for his pains, and then one of Kurt's flailing arms hit him straight in the eye, and he saw stars. Ow, that hurt!

Blaine stepped back, out of Kurt's range, and waited for the nightmare to pass.

Suddenly, Kurt's alarm rung, and Kurt shot up, bewildered and disoriented. Blaine was quick to silence the alarm, and offered Kurt a fever reducer and a glass of water, but Kurt looked right through him, eyes glassy, and started to babble about wasps, swarms of wasps coming right at him. He pointed at the wallpaper, which had black and yellow polka dots on it.

It had seemed such a cheerful wallpaper, back when Blaine was redecorating his apartment. Now, he cursed it, and put his arms around Kurt to soothe him. Kurt shivered, and then started to point and babble again.

"All right, let's get you to my bedroom," Blaine decided. "No wallpaper there, I promise you."

He wrapped Kurt into the comforter and carried him bridal style to his own room. Then, he went back for the tray, and managed to make Kurt swallow a fever reducer with some water before he flopped over and went right back to sleep.

Blaine took Kurt's fever, and the result made his eyebrows go up. 103 degrees!

"I need to call a doctor," Blaine said to himself. "And I need to call the dog walking agency to tell them Kurt is ill."

It was only half past five, but Blaine left a message on the dog walking agency's answering machine, and another on the answering machine of his primary care physician. He also sent an e-mail to Paula explaining that Kurt was ill and he needed to stay at home and take care of him.

He decided to take a vitamin supplement himself so as not to get sick, and to make chicken soup for Kurt and a cooked breakfast for himself while he waited until he could contact his doctor again, and go buy more medicine for Kurt.

Once the soup was simmering on the stove, he started on his breakfast. He was flipping the bacon in the pan when he felt it. That first prickle, that meant he was turning into a dog again. He cursed loudly, switched off the stove and sprinted to the bathroom to pee.

Blaine hadn't used his emergency button since Trent had left –he'd never had to – but now he pushed it with all his might, and kept pushing it every five minutes, hoping and wishing that Trent would still have the alarm app installed on his phone and notice that Blaine needed him.

It took until eight o'clock before someone came, and when they arrived, it wasn't the person Blaine was expecting.

Knock-knock-knock.

"Blaine? Blaine, are you there? Let me in, please."

Blaine recognised Paula's voice, and barked.

"Oh, Blaine! I came here as fast as I could because I knew something like this might happen. And now it already has. Can you open the door?"

Blaine spied the keys on the side table, and tried to grab them, feeling like a toddler again because everything was too high up for him and difficult to reach.

He managed to grab the keys, but upended the table in the process, and it fell on him. Ow, ow, ow!

He howled with pain, and got out from under the table as fast as he could.

"Are you okay?" Paula yelled.

Blaine gave a short bark, and then took the right key into his mouth, jumped up so that he stood on his hind legs, and tried to fit the key into the lock. It was harder than it looked, and standing on his hind legs was tiring. After a while, when he noticed the only thing he managed to do was scratch the door with the key, he whined and dropped back on all four legs.

"You can't open it?" Paula asked. "Okay, I have to go to Parson's now or I'll be late, but I'll be back after my class, and I'll bring a locksmith with me."

Blaine barked again to show that he understood.

"Will you be okay until noon?" Paula wanted to know. "I mean, food-wise, and for… other stuff."

Before Blaine could answer her, he heard someone running down the hall and stopping in front of his apartment. Keys jingled, and a moment later, the door opened. Trent had come!

Paula looked on as Trent crouched down and threw his arms around Blaine, and then she said, "Well, I guess your friend will look after you, then. Be careful hiring a dog sitter, though. If they're from the same agency and they find out Kurt is living with you, he might be out of his job soon. Have your friend call or mail me if you need me, all right? I need to run now, bye!"

Blaine's tail was wagging like crazy, and he put his front paws on Trent's shoulders, which was the closest to a hug he could get in this form.

"It's so good to see you, even as a dog," Trent sniffled. Wait, why was he crying?

"I thought…" Trent continued. "When you didn't contact me at all anymore… I thought you wanted… nothing more to do with me. And I can't blame you… after everything I said. But I missed you. I missed you so much."

Trent hiccupped and fished a hanky out of his pocket to dry his tears. He smiled and showed Blaine the monogrammed initials. "It's yours. I kept it. After… You know. It reminded me of you. I wish you could talk back. I want to know what's going through your head right now."

A loud coughing came from Blaine's bedroom, and Trent's head snapped up. "Who's that?"

Blaine tugged at his sleeve, and Trent followed him. "So you ARE living with Kurt? Wow! And he's ill? Well, that's rotten timing… Does he have medicine? Does he need tea? Or soup?"

Now Blaine tugged Trent towards the kitchen, where the soup and Blaine's breakfast were still on the stove.

"Right." Trent ducked into the pantry for the dog bowls and dog food. "I'll fill your bowls with food and water, and then I'll eat that cooked breakfast before it goes to waste. How long does this soup have to cook? An hour?"

Blaine shook his head.

"More? No? Half an hour, then?"

That was close enough, so Blaine nodded, and Trent switched the stove on. "High? All right."

Trent took the bread and the butter out of the fridge and ate. "I'm glad you had something to eat for me, I ran here as soon as I was up and dressed. You sent so many messages that I was worried sick. Your mom is going to be worried as well, hang on, I have to call her."

Blaine ate his dog food, drank some water and then lay down with a happy sigh. Trent was here. Everything was going to be all right.


	12. Chapter 11: Bedridden

**Author's Note:**

This is again from Kurt's point of view. A bit of a filler chapter

This chapter is unbetaed, because let's face it, I'm unable to get the new chapter written in time to let my wonderful beta hkvoyage have a look at it before it's update day again… I'm at home with the children for two weeks and barely have the time to write.

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

 **Chapter 11: Bedridden**

After the holiday break, Kurt did whatever he could to make enough money to pay off his credit card debt. He'd never spent that much on a whim, but he'd been so furious at all those wishy washy cowards that called themselves curse breakers that he just had to DO something.

He'd been thinking about seeking out Mr. Zakharov ever since Blaine had told him how he'd gotten cursed. He'd scoured the internet for any and all information about Alexei Zakharov. When he found out that the man worked at a big corporation in Russia, Kurt had gotten a passport and applied for a visa just in case. As a last resort if nothing else he tried worked out. He'd known full well that it was a long shot. That it was crazy. And dangerous. But with anger thrumming through his veins, he hadn't cared at all.

Now, though, he knew that the airfare and hotel bills would automatically be deducted from his bank account later that month. So he sold his vintage designer clothes to a consignment shop, hoping he'd be able to buy them back before someone else snatched them up. And he crammed his schedule as full of dog walks as he could, getting up at ridiculous o' clock and only going to sleep when Blaine practically frogmarched him to bed.

Blaine had changed since their Christmas vacation in Ohio. Kurt didn't know if it was because his father had let something slip, or if Blaine had just grown closer to Kurt by spending so much time with him and his family.

Whatever the reason, Blaine had really dialled up the affection he showed Kurt. He'd always been touchy-feely, ever since Kurt had moved in, but now he offered back massages, and slept in Kurt's bed, holding him.

Could this mean that Blaine was starting to care for him? In more than just a friendly way? Or was it just Blaine being Blaine again and not realising how this affected Kurt?

It was becoming harder and harder for Kurt not to get his hopes up, and that was why he welcomed the distraction of work, work and more work. So when he felt a tickle in his throat, he just bought a roll of lozenges and sucked them around the clock to keep the coughing at bay. His nose was runny, too, but that had to be from the cold, right? And that headache was surely from too little sleep, not because he was ill…

Kurt plodded on like that for days, though he felt steadily worse, and any time he bent over to clip or unclip a leash, his head swam, and he had to hold on to the wall or sit down for a minute.

He could barely eat, because swallowing hurt like hell, so he subsisted on protein shakes and instant soup, and only ate solid food when Blaine made him sit down for a home-cooked dinner in the evening, and insisted on him eating more than just a few forkfuls.

Kurt was relieved when Friday rolled around – at least he'd have a little more time to himself in the weekend – and he went to bed that night when prompted without so much as a murmur.

He woke up to a strange hand on his forehead, and a slightly familiar voice urging him to sit up a little, please. "The doctor needs to examine you."

Kurt blinked hazily, and yes, there was a doctor there, already putting her stethoscope on and holding out a thermometer to put in Kurt's mouth.

Kurt shivered when the cold metal of the stethoscope touched his skin, but obeyed the doctor when she asked him to take a deep breath. A split second later, he wished he hadn't, because it made him cough – hard, racking coughs that burned his throat and made it feel like his ribcage was about to crack.

The doctor listened to his lungs and frowned. Next, she checked his temperature, and her eyebrows went up. Way up.

"I can see why you insisted it couldn't wait until after the weekend," she said. "He's got a very high fever. A bad case of the flu. He needs bed rest for a week, a fever reducer every six hours and light but healthy food. Is that chicken soup that I smell? That's perfect. But the main thing is sleep, sleep, sleep, so that his body can recover. As soon as he can sit up, he needs to do something about that ugly cough he has. Eucalyptus vapour treatment. I'll leave you instructions. I'll come back in three days to check on him."

"Thank you, doctor," said the slightly familiar voice, and Kurt turned his head in that direction. The guy he saw was definitely someone Kurt had seen before, but he couldn't place him, nor his surroundings. Where was he? What had happened? Why was everything moving and morphing like in a kaleidoscope? He felt so dizzy.

"Please," he croaked, closing his eyes and feeling nauseous. _Please make it stop._

An arm curved around his back and helped him sit up. "Okay, drink this. You'll feel better when you do. It makes the fever go down, and it makes your throat hurt less."

Kurt drank, wincing at every swallow.

"Good. Now let's get you to the bathroom first, and then you can sleep for the rest of the day."

Kurt felt someone lift him up and carry him. The bathroom was cold. Kurt shivered violently. The guy murmured an apology and draped his cardigan around Kurt's shoulders, carrying him back to the bed as soon as Kurt had relieved himself. Kurt sank back into the pillows and drifted off.

He woke up to loud barking. Dogs! He had dogs to walk! Kurt sat up, meaning to get out of bed and do his duty, but his head whirled and whirled and he blacked out.

When he came to, he heard the slightly familiar voice berating the dog. "See what you did? You woke him up! He needs sleep, the doctor said so. I'll take good care of him for you, I promise. You don't NEED to stay here, I'll look after him. Go with Paula."

The dog growled, loud and menacing, and then Kurt felt the bed dip in and a warm body spooning his. Grateful for the extra body heat, Kurt turned around, cuddled up to whoever was lying next to him, and sank into a deep sleep.

He slept for what felt like weeks on end, only waking up every now and then for a bathroom break. The somewhat familiar guy was usually there when he opened his eyes, offering assistance to walk to the bathroom and making him drink medicine and tea and soup. Other times, it was a woman taking care of him, holding a cold washcloth over his forehead and spooning yoghurt with fruit granola and honey into his mouth. It took so much effort to swallow that Kurt was glad they were sticking to soft stuff.

The body Kurt used as his personal space heater in bed was always there, too, and Kurt never heard a murmur of protest when he pushed his ice-cold fingers and toes under the hot body to warm them.

It took a long time for Kurt to escape from the tired haze he'd been caught in and become more alert. When the haze finally cleared, the first thing he noticed was that he was sleeping in Blaine's room. And that he'd been sleeping next to Blaine in his dog form.

Kurt's stomach was growling, and his body as a whole felt like he'd been run over by a car.

Blaine must have felt him fidget. He turned, and when he saw Kurt was awake, he let out a loud bark.

The guy who'd been looking after Kurt came storming in, in pyjama bottoms and with his hair a bird's nest, hissing at Blaine to let Kurt sleep. When he saw Kurt had his eyes open, he said, "Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

Kurt considered the question, and then croaked, "Awful. Everything hurts."

"You think you could eat?"

Kurt's stomach growled again, and the guy laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Does spag bol sound okay to you? I know it's not breakfast food, but you need something filling and soft for your throat."

Kurt nodded.

"I'm Trent, by the way. I used to be Blaine's roommate."

And now the pieces fit together, and Kurt remembered where he knew Trent from. Remembered how angry Trent had been the last time Kurt had seen him.

"Thank you," Kurt said.

Trent smiled. "You're welcome. Blaine should be turning back into a human any minute now, so he can take over the nurse duties then."

Kurt's mouth fell open. "I've been in bed for a WEEK?"

"Yep. You were completely out of it. The doctor wanted to hospitalise you at one point, but I managed to talk her out of that. I'm glad we're past the worst of it now. I'll go heat up your dinner."

Kurt sank back into the pillows and stared at the ceiling. Somehow he'd lost an entire week. He'd missed his classes, and he'd missed so many dog walks without even warning the dog walking agency. They'd never want him back now, for sure. And he still hadn't made enough money to pay off his credit card bill, and it would be deducted in full on the 25th of the month!

He winced, thinking of the overdraft charges he'd have to pay. Well, he'd have to find some other source of income. If his dog walking career was over for good, he could always go back to the Starlight Diner.

A hand touched his forehead, and Blaine murmured, "You don't have a fever anymore. That's good."

Kurt turned towards him and then squeaked. "You're naked!"

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I always am, just after transforming back."

"Well, put some clothes on!" Kurt demanded.

Blaine chuckled. "Bossy! You must be feeling better."

Kurt glared at him, and Blaine slid out of bed to pick an outfit from his closet.

By the time Trent came back with a tray for Kurt, Blaine was holding out two bow ties for Kurt to choose between.

"Go with the striped one," Kurt told him.

Trent put the tray on Kurt's lap. "There you go. I'm not much of a cook, that's more Blaine's domain, but it's edible."

"Thanks," Kurt said, and started to twirl spaghetti around his fork. "So… You've been looking after me all week?"

Trent shrugged. "Yep. Me and Paula. We took turns taking care of you. And taking Blaine out for walks."

Kurt stared at him, forgetting to eat. "Wow. Why would you do that for me? You don't know me at all!"

"You're important to Blaine," Trent said. "And I owed Blaine for leaving him in the lurch in April last year. Paula offered to help, so we came up with a schedule so that one of us would always be here to take care of you both. At first, Paula wanted to take Blaine in for a week, but he refused to leave you."

Kurt felt Blaine grab his hand and squeeze it, harder than what would have been comfortable, but he didn't protest. Instead, his heart started to beat a little faster, and he squeezed back, finding Blaine's eyes and smiling at him.

"I'm so glad you're doing better," Blaine murmured. "You had us all worried, a few days ago. Oh, when you're up to it, please call your dad? We've been giving him updates, but he'll want to hear from you."

"But eat first!" Trent insisted. "You need food, you've only eaten soup and yoghurt the past week."

Kurt put a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth and started to chew, not really noticing what he ate. He focussed more on how heavy his arms felt – like lead – and how exhausting it was to do something as simple as eating. It tired him out.

Blaine noticed Kurt having trouble, and took over the fork, feeding Kurt, and handing him a glass of water to wash his dinner down.

"Well, now that Blaine is back to normal, I hope you won't mind if I go back to my fiancé," Trent said.

"Fiancé?" Blaine asked.

Trent blushed. "Ashton proposed to me two months ago, and I said yes."

Blaine jumped up and down on the bed, making Kurt feel queasy, and then thankfully bounded off the bed to hug Trent and twirl him around.

"That's just the BEST news!" Blaine shouted.

"Congratulations," Kurt added politely.

Trent smiled ear to ear. "Thank you."

"So when's the wedding?" Blaine wanted to know.

"In August. The fifteenth. Blaine… Would you…? I'd like you to be my best man, please."

Blaine beamed. "Yes! If I can help with the wedding planning, you just say the word!"

Trent shrugged. "Pretty much everything's arranged already. I've been planning my wedding since I was five."

"Me too," Kurt confessed. "I used a lot of it for my dad's wedding when he remarried, but I've made new scrapbooks since then."

Trent cocked his head to the side. "Your father married again and you helped with his wedding?"

Kurt scoffed. "Not just HELPED. I planned the whole things, and in just two weeks, too."

"But why would you do that? Weren't you mad at him for remarrying?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "No. I was the one who introduced him to Carole in the first place."

Trent's mouth fell open. "Before or after the divorce?"

"My mom died when I was eight," Kurt said flatly. "And Carole's husband died shortly after their son was born. There was no divorce on either side."

"Oh, sorry!"

Kurt offered Trent a stiff smile. After all, the guy didn't know him or his family. Plus, he'd looked after Kurt all week.

"I'll take your plate back to the kitchen, if you're done," Blaine announced, and he left the bedroom.

When he was gone, Trent turned to Kurt with a forced smile of his own. "So how long have you and Blaine been together?"

Kurt blinked at him. "We're not… together."

"Really?"

Trent sounded disbelieving.

"Really. I'm here to act as a dog sitter whenever necessary."

"Then why is he sleeping with you?" Trent asked.

Kurt slowly sat up straight and stared at Trent, hard. "Excuse me?"

"He's been in your bed all week. He barely left your side. We had a hard time coaxing him outside for a walk."

Kurt deflated. "Oh… That's… That's new."

"So you guys aren't dating? But you're in love with him, you've said so several times this week."

Trent saw Kurt's eyes widen, and explained, "You babbled a lot while you had a fever."

Kurt bit his lip. "Yes. I'm in love with him. But he just wants to be friends."

Trent let out a short laugh. "Well, doesn't that sound familiar! He pulled that stunt with me for twelve years. Making me think I stood a chance and then friend-zoning me over and over. So, a word to the wise: don't waste your best years on him. I don't know what it is with him, but he doesn't seem to realise where the boundaries are between a friendship and a romantic relationship. So don't let yourself be fooled when he does stuff that makes you think he's into you. He doesn't do it on purpose, I swear, he's a good guy, but he'll never fall for you."

Kurt shrugged. "Who would? But I've got to try. He's only got two more years before he turns into a dog for good."

Trent gaped at him. "What?"

"I went to see Mr Zakharov about the curse. And he said true love's kiss could break it. And that Blaine had two more years to make that happen."

Now Trent's eyes were popping out of his head. "You went to see Alex? Weren't you scared? Did he curse you too?"

Kurt shook his head.

"True love's kiss," Trent mused. "Well, then, Blaine and I were never meant to be, I guess. We kissed when we were seniors in college. Went to a party and got drunk and started to make out while dancing. And I was thrilled, you know? So when Blaine said he wanted to go home, I was all, like, okay, because I thought we were finally gonna have sex. We came home, and I wanted to kiss him some more, but he turned around and threw up all over the floor. By the time I'd cleaned it all up, I wasn't in the mood anymore, and he was in bed, snoring. He hadn't even taken off his shoes. So I get into bed with him, thinking, well, there's always tomorrow, right? But the next morning, he didn't remember a thing. And I didn't dare push. So it all came to nothing in the end."

Kurt's lips quirked up a little. "That sounds like Blaine all right."

Trent sighed. "Yeah. But you can't help loving him anyway."

Kurt's smile widened. "True."

Trent slapped his thighs and got up. "Well, I really got to get going. I texted Ashton I was on my way."

"Thank you so much for looking after us!" Kurt said, plucking at the bedsheets. "I don't know how I can repay you for your kindness."

Trent hummed, then said, "You could invite us over for dinner from time to time? Ashton and I aren't really good at cooking, and we both miss Blaine's food so much."

Kurt grinned. "I can imagine. Tomorrow, 7 p.m.?"

"Awesome! See you tomorrow!"

And with a wave, Trent was gone.

Kurt got up and winced at how stiff he felt. All over. Like he was ninety instead of twenty. And his legs felt wobbly, struggling to carry his weight.

It was only a few steps to the bathroom, but the exertion made him pant like he'd just run a marathon, and while standing in front of the mirror to run a washcloth over his face, he had to grab the sink so as not to fall.

Then, all of a sudden, there was an arm around his middle, supporting him. "Do you want to take a bath? I can help!"

Kurt, startled, turned his head so fast he got a crick in his neck. It was Blaine, of course.

"I can lend you some swimming trunks if you don't want me to see your junk," Blaine offered.

Kurt thought this over, and then nodded. A bath sounded like a really good idea.

Blaine flashed him a smile and zoomed out of the bathroom. Seconds later, he was back with the most ridiculous swimming trunks Kurt had ever seen. A picture of a kitten was on the crotch, and it was eating pizza and tacos.

Kurt made a face that cracked Blaine up.

"My brother sent me these as a birthday gift one year," Blaine explained after he'd gotten over his laughing fit. "I've never worn them, for obvious reasons, so that's why I picked them. You sit down and put them on, and I'll run you a bath."

When Kurt had taken off his pyjamas and put on the swimming trunks, Blaine picked Kurt up like he weighed nothing, and deposited him carefully in a cloud of lavender foam. "I'll be right back with clothes for you. What should I pick?"

"No more kittens, please," Kurt requested, and Blaine chuckled.

Half an hour later, dressed in a comfy hoody and a pair of yoga pants, Kurt lay on the sofa with his feet on Blaine's lap and a warm blanket wrapped around him, watching Cupcake Wars. Kurt felt relaxed and drowsy, and though he'd planned on staying awake, he didn't even last five minutes.

He woke up in the afternoon, and shuffled to the kitchen, bleary with sleep.

"Are you hungry?" Blaine asked, making Kurt jump a foot in the air again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Do you want an omelette? French toast? Pancakes? What are you in the mood for?"

Kurt just blinked at him.

"Not really awake yet?" Blaine chuckled. "Okay, I'll go with the omelette. Here's a mug of coffee for you. Bet you've missed coffee."

Kurt sniffed the mug and took a large sip. _Aaah, bliss!_

"I hear you've invited Trent and Ash for dinner tomorrow? I'm going to invite Paula too. To thank her."

Kurt looked up, feeling a bit guilty that he hadn't asked Blaine first. After all, this was Blaine's apartment.

Blaine misunderstood his frown. "You don't mind Paula coming, do you?"

Kurt shook his head.

"The doctor's coming to check on you again in about an hour," Blaine informed him.

Kurt's eyes widened. "That's… not really necessary, is it? I'm better."

Blaine tutted. "I knew you were going to be like that. But you've been at death's door, and I want you to be checked again, and to take it easy for the next few weeks. You've been driving yourself too hard, and that's why you were so ill."

Kurt bit his lip, and then mumbled, "I can't afford doctor's visits. And I have to work. There are some big bills coming up, and if I can't pay them in full on the 25th, my credit will be ruined for years."

"I'll pay the doctor, of course," Blaine said. "And you have enough money in your bank account for those bills. I made sure of that."

Kurt gaped at Blaine, who shrugged. "You went to Russia for me. To help me. Helping you out financially is the least I can do."

Blaine set a plate before Kurt and handed him a knife and a fork. "And some bread and butter, hang on…"

Kurt sat frozen on his chair. Clearly, his dad had blabbed. How much did Blaine know? And how would that affect the outcome?


	13. Chapter 12: I Must Be Sure

Author's Note:

Aaah, I've had no time to write this week, so this is very short and unbetaed, I'm sorry.

Chapter 12: I Must Be Sure

Paula came back in the afternoon, after her Pre-College Academy Class, and wanted to take Blaine home with her.

"You can look after Kurt," she told Trent, "and I'll take care of Blaine."

Blaine shot one look at Kurt, who was tossing and turning in bed, breathing with difficulty, his cheeks unnaturally red and the rest of him pale as death, and nixed that plan with a loud protest.

Trent shushed him and told him to go with Paula, but Blaine, his displeasure rumbling deep in his throat, jumped onto the bed and curled himself around Kurt, trying to warm him up as well as he could.

Trent gasped and tried to get him off the bed, but Blaine didn't budge. Then Kurt turned around, threw his arm around Blaine, nestled his head against Blaine's shoulder and started to snore like a freight train.

"Well, that changes things," Paula said. "If Blaine is staying here, we're going to have to divide the caretaker duties differently. What's your work schedule like? I have class on Mondays from 10.30 till 12, on Wednesdays the entire afternoon, on Thursdays from 8.30 till 10, on Fridays from 3.30 till 5, and on Saturdays the entire morning."

Together, she and Trent worked out a schedule, and then Paula checked the fridge, the pantry and the medicine cabinet and went shopping.

Blaine felt horrible that he wasn't able to help Kurt in any way, except for keeping him warm. He stuck to Kurt like a barnacle, and every time Trent or Paula wanted to take him out for a walk, he resisted until they'd sworn up and down that they'd bring him straight back to Kurt after.

Kurt's fever didn't abate in the following days, and his babbling grew more and more incoherent. Blaine's name was a constant, though. Kurt was forever calling for Blaine, telling him he needed him, and that he loved him. All Blaine could do in response was cuddle up to him, his front paws wrapped around Kurt protectively. Kurt always seemed to sense him near, and it quieted him and helped him fall asleep.

The doctor came back after three days, and was so worried about Kurt's worsening condition that she wanted to hospitalise him. Luckily, Trent was able to persuade her to let Kurt stay at home.

"I'm a trained nurse, Doctor," Trent said. "I've worked in an ICU unit for two years. Just tell me what Kurt needs and I'll take care of it – an IV, a heart monitor, an antibiotic shot for pneumonia?"

The doctor thought it over, and then decided to take Trent up on his offer. "I'll write you a prescription for the antibiotics. I can't fault you for wanting to keep him at home. God knows hospitals charge the earth. But I want you to keep me updated. I want his stats twice a day, and if it gets any worse, he'll go straight to the hospital."

For the next three days, Kurt was hooked up to an IV, and a heart monitor beeped around the clock to assure everyone he was still alive. Trent administered the pneumonia shots twice a day, and slowly but surely, Kurt's temperature went down, and he became alert enough to eat and drink again, with assistance.

"He's past the worst," Trent said as he took the IV out. "I'm going to take the heart monitor back to the rental place. He'll be back to normal in a few days. He'll have to be careful, though. He needs to take it easy for a few more weeks or he'll relapse. Make sure he rests, okay? As soon as you turn human again, I'm going back to Ashton's , but I'll pop in twice a day for the rest of the pneumonia shots."

Trent was right. The next morning, Kurt woke up lucid, and when the doctor arrived for another check-up, she declared his lungs cleared, but told him to rest for at least one more week.

Blaine asked her to administer the morning pneumonia shot, which Trent had forgotten in his rush to go back to Ashton, and thanked her for the many house calls she'd made to check on Kurt.

Making Kurt rest for a week proved quite a challenge. On Saturday, he was malleable enough, and did nothing more taxing than take a long bath, nap and eat. On Sunday, Kurt was much more his old self, and as Trent, Ashton and Paula were coming over for dinner, Kurt insisted on preparing the food. "I'm the one who invited them! They've looked after me all week!"

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "After both of us. You wouldn't want to repay them by falling ill again, now, would you? Park your cute butt on the sofa and watch some TV."

"I've got no time for that!" Kurt protested. "I missed a week of school. I need to call Neil so he can update me on all that I've missed, and the assignments I'm supposed to hand in."

"I'm sure Paula's already told all of your teachers that you're ill, and they'll grant you an extension," Blaine reassured him.

"Maybe most of them will, but not Jenkins," Kurt mumbled under his breath, and a minute later, he was on the phone with Neil. "Oh, great, that's great, thank you! Aww, yes, I know I did, but hey, that got me a job, didn't it? Anyway, thanks a lot! But what I really need to know is what assignment we got for ARS Fashion this week, so that I can get cracking. 17th century fashion? Great. I read this interesting book the other day about French aristocrats wearing red high heels. I'll write about that."

And sure enough, Kurt settled at the dining room table with his laptop and a big book and set to work. Blaine didn't hear another peep about making dinner, and at five minutes to seven, he had to tell Kurt to scram so he could set the table for five.

"I'm almost done!" Kurt complained, but Blaine shooed him off.

By the time their dinner guests were sitting down, nibbling on mini pizzas and quiches and sipping a glass of spumante, Kurt still hadn't arrived. Blaine found him in his bedroom, going over his now fully written assignment and muttering to himself.

"Dinner is served, Milord," Blaine said, and Kurt jumped a foot in the air.

"Dinner? Okay, I'll be right there, as soon as I've sent…"

But Blaine closed the laptop. "We have guests. That you invited. So come help me entertain them."

Kurt sighed, but slid off the bed and followed Blaine.

Kurt seemed a bit subdued during dinner. Blaine was pretty sure he was getting tired again, and hurried to offer everyone dessert so that they would leave shortly after.

Before he left, Trent gave Kurt his evening pneumonia shot and then took Blaine aside.

"Quit it with the sleeping in the same bed, okay? I know you don't mean anything by it, but you're getting the boy's hopes up, and it's cruel. You never did that to me, why would you do that to him?"

Blaine, a bit taken aback, didn't know how to respond, and Trent rolled his eyes, sighed and reiterated, "Don't make promises you can't deliver on. Take it from me, that HURTS. You're not into Kurt? Fine, but then keep your distance, so that he can get over his crush and fall for someone else, like I did with Ashton. Right now, you have him thinking that it's somehow his fault. That he's unlovable or something. I told him it was unlikely you'd ever fall for him, and he said, 'Who would?'"

Blaine's mouth fell open, and his heart hurt for Kurt, who was amazing and wonderful and beautiful inside and out, and deserved all the love in the world.

"That's what you do to him," Trent said. "So stop it, please."

Later on, when all the guests were gone, and Blaine was doing the dishes, he mulled it over in his head. Was Trent right? Was it cruel of Blaine to show Kurt affection?

Of one thing, Blaine was sure: this wasn't the Trent situation all over again. Blaine had never felt for Trent even half of what he felt for Kurt, and he'd never been as close to anyone as he had to Kurt.. Kurt complemented him in ways that Trent never had.

However upset Blaine had felt when Trent moved out, he knew that it would be so much worse if Kurt ever decided to leave him. He'd be absolutely devastated. In just a few months, Kurt had become the most important part of Blaine's life. And ever since Blaine had overheard the phone conversation between Kurt and his father, he'd been picturing what it would be like to marry Kurt, raise children together and grow old with him. He could see it all so clearly, and he wanted it. But did he want it for the right reason? That was the crux of the matter.

Kurt deserved true love. He deserved someone who chose him because he was the brightest star in their sky and their best part of every day. Because they wanted to wake up with him in the morning and go to sleep at night with him in their arms. Because when he was in the room, everyone else disappeared for them and they only had eyes for him.

Blaine had grown to care for Kurt, more and more every day, but was that a self-fulfilling prophecy, or did he truly love him? He wasn't sure, and as long as he lacked that certainty, he wouldn't kiss Kurt. That much he could promise himself.

He hung up the tea towel and went to Kurt's room to nag him to go to sleep.

Kurt was already in his pyjamas, moisturising his face. He looked up with a glowing smile. "I just sent the essay to Jenkins. At least one thing I can cross off my list."

"Good," said Blaine. "But promise me you won't overdo it. No dog-walking for at least another two weeks, and no late nights working on school stuff. You need to get better first."

Kurt's smile fell. "I left them in the lurch for a week, so I doubt the agency's ever going to want me back anyway."

"I called them the first day you were ill," Blaine told him. "So I'm pretty sure they found a replacement for you. I'm sure they've had other dog walkers fall ill before."

And there was that smile again for Blaine to bask in. "Thank you!"

Kurt got into bed, and then beckoned Blaine with his arm. "Come to bed, please. I'm tired."

Blaine hesitated for a fraction of a second, remembering Trent's warning, but the tug on his heart was too strong. "I'll be right there!"

K&B

Now that Blaine and Trent were on speaking terms again, Trent and Ashton became regular dinner guests, and Kurt and Trent got along like a house on fire.

It shouldn't have surprised Blaine, then, that Kurt knew about the engaged couple's plans before he did. But it still shook him when Ashton proudly showed him the plans and sketches for the building he and Trent had bought and wanted to turn into an art gallery of their own. Both the interior design and the logo design had Kurt written all over them, so Kurt must have known about this for months, but he'd kept mum about it.

When the invitation arrived for the wedding, Kurt's name was beautifully calligraphed next to Blaine's on the envelope, and Blaine caught himself staring at the '&' in between for a little too long.

Blaine was scared about turning into a dog at an inopportune moment during the ceremony, and had asked Kurt to stand in as best man if necessary, but it all passed without a hitch, even the best man speech.

And yet, it had been another close shave. Later that evening, the whole crowd gathered in the garden for a fireworks spectacle Ashton had arranged for Trent as a surprise. Fairy lights had been hung over all the trees, and the effect was charming. The fireworks went up, everyone oohed and aahed, and then filed back into the ballroom to dance and get wasted.

Kurt hung back, though, and told Blaine he'd rather stay outside a while longer. Blaine happily agreed to that, and when the music started up again in the ballroom, he hopped about happily to the sound of his favourite tunes and hummed along.

Kurt giggled at Blaine's antics, his nose and eyes scrunching up and his teeth showing, and Blaine grinned at him and turned his energy up a notch.

A slower song came on, and Blaine coaxed Kurt into slow-dancing with him. They glided over the grass smoothly, Blaine's hand on Kurt's waist, and Kurt's hand on Blaine's shoulder, their cheeks so close they were almost touching. When the song ended, Kurt sighed, his warm breath washing over Blaine.

"You okay?" Blaine verified.

"Never better," said Kurt, leaning in a little and looking at Blaine from under his lashes, and wow, how had Blaine never noticed how long and beautiful they were?

So entranced was Blaine that he didn't notice he was turning into a dog until he was shrinking again, and then he let out a distressed whine. This was SO not the moment!


	14. Chapter 13: Near Misses

Author's Note

This is again from Kurt's point of view, and he's getting frustrated...

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

And go check out the lovely fanart made for this story by datshitrandom on Tumblr!

Chapter 13: Near Misses

That very same day, Kurt called his dad and pumped him for information, after assuring him that he was better, yes, and no, Burt didn't need to fly to New York to come and see him.

He blanched when Burt told him Blaine knew everything. "And I told him he'd better give you an honest chance."

"Dad!"

"What? He knows you're in love with him, and the two of you really click, but he's slow to make a move, and you don't want to egg him on, so someone has to."

Kurt sighed.

"Any guy would be lucky to have you," Burt insisted.

That made Kurt scoff. "Oh yeah, they're just queuing up to date me."

"They should! Maybe then Blaine would make a move!"

"Dad…"

"Yeah, yeah, you've been ill and you're still tired, I get it. Carole is nagging me to hang up and let you sleep. You rest up and feel better, 'kay?"

"Okay. Night, Dad."

K&B

Kurt felt awkward during dinner the next day. As well as he got along with Professor Scher, it was weird to have her over for dinner, and even weirder that she'd been looking after him while he was ill, however much he appreciated it.

Mostly, Kurt let the others talk, and that worked perfectly. They all assumed he was quiet because he was still feeling the effects of the flu he'd had.

Ashton was a laid-back guy with a great sense of humour and a flair for story-telling. They all laughed their heads off when he told the story of how his father, an art critic, and his mother, an art historian, met and hated each other on sight. "Seriously, it's a miracle they ever got married!"

Trent proved to be a lot nicer than Kurt's first impression of him had been, way back when he started walking 'Devon'. Kurt greedily soaked up all the information Trent provided about Blaine, and listened open-mouthed as he told them anecdotes from his years as an ICU nurse.

"The doctor kept prodding her even after she'd told him it really hurt there," Trent said. "Next thing we knew, she made this weird coughing noise, and the doctor looked up, and she projectile-vomited all over him. And then she turned to him and said, 'I feel much better now.' We had a good laugh about that at the nurse's station later. Served him right!"

"But now you're working at an art gallery, aren't you?" Professor Scher asked. "So how did that career switch come about?"

"Well, after a few years, I was totally burnt out. We were short on staff, and each of us had to work for three. And I was so tired ALL THE TIME. Could never get used to working nights. So yeah, one morning when I came home from work, I saw this 'Help wanted' notice on the window of Vernon's gallery, and it seemed like an absolute dream to work there, so I applied and got in, and I never looked back. My dad's still mad about it, though. All those years of studying for nothing. All that money he paid for it."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully, thinking of his father's frown when he'd announced he wanted to study either musical theatre or fashion design. Burt had been a lot more enthusiastic when Kurt chose to sign up for a minor in graphic design.

"All parents are the same, I guess," he said. "They want their children to study something that guarantees a good, stable, well-paying job. And the arts have a bad rep."

Ashton nodded. "My mom insisted on me doing a minor in teaching, just so I'd have a back-up career. And I hated every minute of it"

"It might come in useful one day," said Blaine, and Professor Scher added, "You never know."

"That's what my mother said," Ashton pouted, and everyone laughed.

All in all, the dinner party was a success, and Kurt grinned and nodded when Blaine said, "We need to do this again soon."

But the best part of his day was Blaine getting into bed with him and holding him close and tight. Kurt smiled as he closed his eyes and started to drift off. Just as he was on the cusp of falling asleep, Blaine kissed the top of his head and murmured, "I'm glad you're better. I was so worried."

Kurt's smile widened, and he slipped into sleep happier than he'd ever felt before.

K&B

True to his word, Blaine invited Trent and Ashton over for dinner the following week, twice even, and the week after again. Soon it became a standing invitation: every Wednesday and every Sunday, the couple joined Kurt and Blaine for dinner.

After a few months, Kurt stopped thinking of Trent and Ashton as Blaine's friends, and started to consider them his own friends, too. He met up with them for coffee or lunch, went jogging with Trent (and a few dog friends) every other evening and helped Ashton shop for clothes and gifts. In return, Ashton and Trent provided very welcome feedback on Kurt's design projects both for school and for R/GA.

And then one day Ashton told Kurt that he'd inherited money from an aunt and had been looking to buy a commercial property, because it was Trent's dream to have a gallery of his own. And would Kurt come along and check out a few properties with Ashton before he brought up the subject with Trent?

Well, of course Kurt would, and he went even further, using his free time the next few weeks to sketch how he envisioned the gallery, and to design a logo for it.

"I'll do your website, too," he promised Ashton, "once you start up your business."

Ashton looked at the sketches and the logo, and beamed. "Thank you! Trent is going to love this so much!"

Trent did love it, and together, he and Ashton chose a property to buy. Then, while Ashton contacted contractors to renovate the building, Trent and Kurt teamed up to pick paint colours, light fixtures, furniture and everything else needed to kit out the future gallery.

Kurt tweaked his sketches according to Trent's wishes, and grinned ear to ear when Ashton showed them to Blaine the next time he and Trent came over for dinner.

Blaine's mouth fell open, and he shot Kurt a look he couldn't really decipher before turning to his friends again and showing the required enthusiasm.

After they'd left, though, it became quite clear what the matter was. Blaine was jealous!

Usually, Blaine would sing and even dance while doing the dishes, but now he sulked and glared at the dishes he was scrubbing until Kurt rolled his eyes and said, "Seriously? You're mad because I knew about the gallery before they told you?"

The corners of Blaine's mouth went down, and he mumbled, "They were my friends first!"

Kurt laughed. "Come on, mister! Trent is still your best friend in the whole world. That doesn't change because he's now my friend, too. So stop pouting! How old are you, five?"

Blaine's glower melted away to make room for a glint of mischief, and he flicked some sudsy water in Kurt's direction. "Five and a half!"

Kurt yelped and then hastened to retaliate. They only stopped their water battle when the floor became so slippery that Kurt almost fell on his bum. Luckily, Blaine caught him just in time. Kurt giggled, because now it looked like they were dancing and Blaine had dipped him. And then Kurt forgot all about his merriment, because yes, that was Blaine glimpsing at Kurt's lips for a second there. Would he? Would he really?

But Blaine just laughed and righted Kurt, saying, "We've made a bit of a mess, haven't we? Sorry about that. It was fun, though."

Kurt exhaled shakily and found a rag to wipe the floor with. His heart was still hammering, and it took a long while for it to quiet down.

K&B

For Kurt's twenty-first birthday, Rachel insisted on throwing him a party at Callbacks. Elliott and Neil and Maizie were invited too. If it had been just an ordinary night out, Kurt would have looked forward to catching up with his friends and singing karaoke. But he knew, he just KNEW they'd want to get him as drunk as a skunk, and he didn't like that prospect.

He confided his woes to Blaine, telling him about the one time he'd gotten drunk and then vomited all over a teacher's shoes. "I don't want that to happen again! And I don't want to drink so much that I don't remember anything the day after! Or that I lose my virginity to some random guy!"

Blaine nodded. "I understand."

Kurt sighed. "I don't get why people are so obsessed with alcohol. And me drinking it. I don't like booze. It smells disgusting, it tastes vile, and it makes me puke. I want nothing to do with it, thank you very much."

"Well, can't you just tell them so?" Blaine suggested. "They're your friends!"

Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine. "They're just going to tell me to suck it up and not be a party pooper."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, his mouth a thin line. "They won't respect your wishes?"

"Not about this, I'm sure. Didn't your friends do that to you when you turned twenty-one?"

Blaine smiled. "The only friend I had at the time was Trent, and no, he didn't do that."

"Lucky you."

"If you're worried, I can make sure I'm there," Blaine offered. "I'll take Trent and Ashton with me. And as soon as you're feeling uncomfortable, you come and tell me and I'll take you home."

"And if you turn into a dog all of a sudden?"

"Trent will look after me, and Ashton will look after you.

"Oh. Okay. Yes, please."

The night of the party, Kurt went to Rachel's loft to dress up to the nines and to pick an outfit for Rachel, too. Then, they both headed to Callbacks to meet their friends.

Once Kurt sat down at their table, his eyes roved over the crowd until he found Blaine, who smiled and winked at him. Kurt instantly felt better.

The party started with everyone taking turns singing karaoke. Kurt drank a diet coke, clapped and smiled and sang duets with Rachel and Elliott, and started to relax. Perhaps he could have a nice night out without being forced to do something he didn't want.

But then more friends of Kurt's turned up, out of the blue, among them Santana, and the first thing she did once she'd plopped down next to Kurt was sniff his drink and then taste it. "Porcelain, this is just coke. Why aren't you doing shots? It's your twenty-first birthday! Hey, bar tender, a round of shots for all of us!"

She collected the shot glasses the bar tender shoved at her and distributed them, slamming one into Kurt's hand and shouting, "Bottom's up!"

Kurt shot a frantic look at Blaine, who nodded at him and went up to the stage to sing a song. At first, Kurt didn't understand how that could possibly help, but as usual, he couldn't keep his eyes off Blaine, and when Blaine started singing, the corners of Kurt's mouth turned up of their own accord.

As soon as everyone noticed his dopey grin, they followed his gaze to the stage, and his college friends smirked when they saw Blaine, and happily enlightened the others about Kurt's humongous crush.

Kurt let them laugh and mock to their heart's content, and used their distraction to exchange his full shot glass for an empty one. _Brilliant, Blaine! Thank you!_

When Blaine went back to his table, after a beautiful rendition of Teenage Dream that had Kurt's heart twitterpating, Santana fixed Kurt with an intense stare, and he braced himself for what was coming.

"So you're into Dapper Dan over there? Tell you what, Lady Lips, I'll stop bugging you about drinking your weight in alcohol if you walk up to him right now and ask him to dance. And don't worry, he doesn't even have to take you up on the offer!"

The whole table laughed, and then they shouted encouragement at Kurt. "You can do this!" "Come on, Kurt, the worst that can happen is that he says no." "Maybe he will dance with you, he's such a sweetheart!" "You should try, I totes saw him looking at you during the song."

So Kurt got up, made his way to Blaine's table, and tapped the man on his shoulder. Blaine turned his head so fast it must have given him a crick in his neck, and looked concerned when he saw that it was Kurt. "Everything okay?"

Kurt smiled. "Santana dared me to ask you to dance. So, would you do me the honour?"

Kurt held out his hand, threw his shoulders back and put his poker face on. If Blaine said no, there was no harm done. He'd asked, so Santana had to leave him alone. But he really, really wanted Blaine to say yes.

Blaine stood up and took Kurt's hand, to loud cheering from Kurt's table. Up on stage, a girl was now crooning an Ed Sheeran song, soft and sweet. Kurt put his other hand on Blaine's shoulder, felt Blaine splay his hand on his back, and started to slowly sway to the music. He was sure he was smiling like a fool again, but he so didn't care. This felt amazing.

"Why did you take her up on that dare?" Blaine whispered, and when Kurt explained, he laughed. "I'm glad me being here helped!"

"Me too," Kurt breathed, wishing that he could step a bit closer and feel Blaine against him. But there were too many eyes on him right now, so he kept a respectful distance.

Blaine leaned in a little. "You look amazing, by the way. That waistcoat is gorgeous, and it really brings out your eyes."

Kurt's cheeks heated up, and his lips felt dry as the desert all of a sudden, so he moistened them. Blaine's eyes flicked down, and he moved a bit closer still.

Kurt tuned out everything around him and closed his eyes.

And then somebody bumped into him, hard, and a cold liquid hit his neck and trickled down his back, seeping into his clothes. His eyes flew open and he turned around, seeing a drunk girl who could barely stay upright, holding an empty martini glass.

The girl giggled and slurred a sorry, making her way to the bar again.

Kurt shivered, and Blaine was instantly there, soothing and offering help. "Do you want my jacket?"

Kurt shook his head. "I think I'm calling it a night. Thanks for the dance."

He went to his table again, where he got congratulations and claps on the back, but all he said was, "I'm going to head out. I don't know what she spilled on me, but I'm cold and gross, and I want to shower and treat my clothes for stains."

Everyone nodded. Even Santana didn't put up a protest. She only said, "I bet you're glad I dared you, though. You've got game, Porcelain! You got your dance!"

Kurt grinned at her.

"Oh no, now his crush is gonna get even worse!" Neil moaned.

Elliott scoffed. "Like it could get any worse."

"True, that."

The whole table laughed again, and Kurt made his escape, the glowing ember of that dance keeping him warm until he got home.

K&B

Early July, the wedding invitation arrived, and Kurt was happily surprised to see his name on the envelope as well. "I get to come, too?"

Blaine grinned. "Of course you do. You've been best buds with Trent for months now. Also, you're the back-up best man in case I turn into a dog!"

Kurt grinned back, and started planning his outfit.

The weather was perfect that day – sunny, but not too hot. The ceremony was beautiful, and Kurt teared up when Trent and Ashton exchanged vows, wishing fiercely that one day, it would be him standing there with Blaine. Not much chance of that, but he could hope, right?

Blaine was as affectionate and attentive as ever, offering Kurt a handkerchief when he cried, holding his hand in church and putting his arm around Kurt's waist during the reception. Kurt's nerve endings buzzed, and his smile worked overtime when the other wedding guests all took him for Blaine's boyfriend, and Blaine didn't correct them. Not once.

After dinner, Ashton announced that he had a surprise for his husband, and brought everyone to the garden. The surprise was a fireworks display. However spectacular it was, though, Kurt found himself distracted by Blaine hugging him from behind, hooking his chin over Kurt's shoulder and whispering in his ear. Kurt so wanted to turn around and kiss him, but he knew the initiative had to come from Blaine.

When everyone went back inside, though, Kurt told Blaine he wanted to stay in the garden for a bit. He needed to get himself together again. Blaine, instead of leaving Kurt to his thoughts, stayed with him, and danced dorkily to the music until Kurt had a giggle fit.

And then Blaine asked Kurt to dance, and it was magical, swaying slowly among the flowers and under the stars. Kurt never wanted it to end, and drew nearer to Blaine of his own accord after the dance was over.

He gazed into Blaine's eyes, and Blaine looked back, his eyes dark and his expression awed. Blaine circled Kurt's waist and tugged him a bit closer still, and Kurt went willingly, closing his eyes and puckering up, because this was it, surely?

But there was no soft pressure on his lips, and Blaine let go of him, and then he let out… a whine?

Kurt's eyes flew open, and he cursed when he saw Blaine had been turned into a dog again. Really? Now? Did Mr Zakharov sense Blaine was close to breaking the spell and did he want to stop that from happening?

Grumbling under his breath, Kurt took Blaine's collar and leash out of his pocket and put it on. He collected Blaine's clothes and folded them, then sent Trent and Ashton a text to tell them what had happened and headed home.

That night, when he got into bed, cuddling up to Blaine in his dog form, he was still grumpy. _So close. I was so close! Not fair._

K&B

A new schoolyear started, and a few weeks before Christmas break, Professor Scher announced that she was going to invite Sebastian from R/GA to talk to all the students that were graduating that year about the job opportunities open to them in the field.

Kurt, who had by now seen Sebastian in action several times, flirting and harassing his colleagues at R/GA, wasn't very pleased about this development. Would Sebastian still be interested in Blaine?

That Friday, he got answer. Yes, Sebastian was still interested, laying it on thicker than ever around Blaine, who blushed up a storm and lowered his eyes to look at Sebastian from under his lashes. Whether Blaine was flattered or just embarrassed, Kurt couldn't tell, but the interaction made him simmer with rage.

After the wedding, Blaine hadn't made any more overtures towards Kurt, and Kurt didn't dare bring up the subject, though he viciously shut off the radio any time "You Can't Hurry Love" played. Almost a year had passed, and what did he have to show for it? He and Blaine had grown closer, yes, undoubtedly, but any time he thought Blaine was about to kiss him, Blaine was scared back into his shell by circumstances. It was frustrating beyond belief. And now Mr Slimy McSlimeball thought he could charm his way into Blaine's pants and ruin Kurt's life? Ugh. Infuriating!

Kurt heard Sebastian invite both Professor Scher and Blaine to R/GA's Christmas party on the 23rd, bragging about all the big names that would be present. Kurt had been invited too, but like last year, he didn't want to go without Blaine and leave him alone all night, nor did he want to take Blaine along and watch Sebastian hit on him. It seemed like that choice was taken away from him, though. Both professors accepted the invitation eagerly, and there was no way Kurt would stay at home while Blaine was out being seduced by Mr Sleaze Extraordinaire!

That evening, when Blaine rambled on and on about the famous people he'd be meeting at the R/GA party, Kurt just nodded, and as soon as he could get a word in edgeways, he said drily that he'd be going too. "Ellie invited me months ago."

Blaine seemed taken aback for a second, and then beamed, "That's right! You work there! This is going to be so great!"

Kurt didn't react to that statement, choosing instead to clear the table and carry the dishes to the sink. He may have set them down somewhat harder than usual, but Blaine, chattering excitedly again, never even noticed.

 _So great, huh? I hope Blaine's right, but I have a bad feeling about that party. I think it's a recipe for disaster._


	15. Chapter 14: Left It Too Late

Author's Note:

Okay, so, most of you already guessed, but just in case you didn't: this chapter (Blaine's POV) is angsty. And the next chapter (Kurt's POV) will be, too. Nothing that can't be resolved, and I promise you a happy ending, cross my heart. Hang in there, please! They will sort things out in the end!

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-) A special thank you to my guest reviewers. I can't send you a personal note, but please know that I treasure your reviews, each and every one 3

Chapter 14: Left It Too Late

Ever since Kurt had moved in with Blaine, it was as if that had unlocked in Blaine a hunger for Kurt. A craving to touch him, to be near him at all times, and to look at him.

At first, it was pretty innocent – admiring Kurt's eyes, his nose, his perfect posture, the swoop of his hair. But gradually, Blaine let his eyes stray to Kurt's biceps, to his collar bone, to the strip of skin that showed when his T-shirt rode up, to his hip bones peeking out from those low-slung yoga pants he wore to sleep, and even to his ass.

Blaine felt horrible about objectifying Kurt that way, and forced his eyes down as soon as he noticed them linger.

He couldn't help it, though. As soon as Kurt was around, Blaine gravitated towards him, and especially in the classroom, Blaine had to remind himself that he had other students and could not keep his eyes glued on Kurt.

It wasn't until after Trent and Ashton's wedding, though, that the situation became worrying. As in, Blaine started dreaming about Kurt.

Every dream started out the same. They were in the garden of the wedding venue, dancing. And then suddenly, they were kissing. Not soft and sweet, but deep kisses from the onset. As if they both felt a thirst only the taste of each other could quench. And then hands started roving to undiscovered places, and Blaine felt stirrings he'd never experienced before. Usually, the dream ended with Blaine jolting awake to find that he'd come in his boxers, or that he was rock hard and grinding against Kurt. Thank heavens that Kurt slept like the dead, and remained unaware of Blaine's perving on him.

Blaine was horrified at the tricks his subconscious played on him, and felt guilty for using Kurt to get off, though he really couldn't help what he dreamt.

After a few weeks, though, he decided to talk it over with his best friend. He met up with Trent during their lunch break, and then fidgeted all through lunch, determined to discuss the dreams, but not knowing how to broach the subject.

Trent put his fork down after his last bite of dessert and said, "Okay, now, spit it out! What's got you so antsy?"

Blaine wrung his hands. "Please don't… Please don't judge me, okay? I can't help it, I swear I can't help it."

Trent quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. "No judgment. Promise. Go on."

Blaine swallowed with difficulty. "And you have to promise not to breathe a word about this to Kurt. He can't know. Please."

"I promise," said Trent. "Not a word. Now tell me."

Blaine started fiddling with his paper napkin. "Right. Well. Uhm… I'm having these… dreams."

He stopped there, and after a minute, Trent prompted, "Dreams, you say. About Kurt?"

"About me and Kurt," Blaine clarified. "Kissing, and… Doing stuff."

Trent hummed in understanding. "Sex dreams."

Blaine dropped his eyes to the table, not daring to look at Trent. "Yes."

"And?"

That got Blaine to look up. "And it's terrible, and I feel so ashamed! I shouldn't be having that kind of thoughts about Kurt, not even subconsciously!"

Trent frowned. "Why not?"

"Because it's breaching his trust! He lets me sleep in his bed, and he trusts me not to… molest him in his sleep, and then I go and… grind on him while I'm sleeping. If he knew, he'd…"

"He'd be over the moon!" Trent said. "Seriously, he'd be glad that you're attracted to him, even if it's just while you're asleep for the moment. This is a GOOD thing, believe me. If the two of you ever start dating for real, you're SUPPOSED to feel attracted to him. To want to kiss him and touch him and have sex with him."

Blaine digested that information for a moment. "It still feels wrong."

"Because you haven't talked to Kurt about this, yes. You should tell him, not me. You should kiss him and see what happens."

Blaine bit his lip and said nothing.

"What on earth are you waiting for?" Trent asked.

"I need to be sure this is more than just… me wanting to jump his bones," Blaine admitted. "I don't want to jump into a relationship to find out later that it was only lust, not love."

Trent groaned. "Seriously? Blaine, I love you, man, but you're being ridiculous. 'Jump into a relationship'? You guys have been living together for over a year! And anyone can see that you love him, except you, apparently. But if you really need more time to figure it out for yourself, fine. Just don't take so long that you end up losing Kurt."

"Noted."

K&B

Another Thanksgiving came, and this time around, Pam was in Ohio, so the Hudmels invited both Blaine and his mom to celebrate together.

Blaine felt right at home with the Hudmels, as he had the previous year, and he and Kurt teamed up again to cook up a storm in their kitchen. A few minutes in, though, Kurt had a mishap cutting the pumpkin for one of the pies. His knife slipped and cut deep into his thumb.

Blaine was with him in a flash, winding a clean kitchen towel around the cut and alerting Carole so that they could take Kurt to the hospital for stitches. Kurt couldn't put his coat or shoes on with his hand thickly swaddled, of course, so Blaine helped him. Once they were in Carole's car, he helped Kurt put his seat belt on, and held his uninjured hand all the way to the hospital and in the emergency room, where they patched him up.

"Thank heavens it's my left hand," Kurt sighed. "It's still annoying, though."

Blaine did the rest of the cooking and baking with Carole, while Kurt looked on and made suggestions and sang and chatted with them.

Pam and Burt and Carole got along well. A little too well for Kurt's taste, it seemed, as he grew ever antsier the more their parents hinted at Kurt and Blaine being a lovely couple, and swapped anecdotes about their childhood.

Back to New York, Blaine took over Kurt's household chores until his hand would be better. At least, that was the intent, but a week later, he had another dog spell, and then, of course, Kurt had to manage as well as he could one-handed.

When Blaine turned human again, Paula told him she'd invited her friend from R/GA again to talk about working as a graphic designer. Blaine didn't attend the presentation this time, but as he'd be using that classroom right after Paula, he arrived when Mr Smythe was just wrapping up his explanation. And again, the guy made a beeline for Blaine after his presentation. It seemed like Paula had been right after all. Mr Smythe was interested in Blaine, and was beyond obvious this time about wanting to bed him. His touches and words made Blaine feel very uncomfortable. Who tells a stranger they have a biteable ass after meeting them two times?

Blaine did his utmost to steer the conversation back to normal subjects, and was relieved when Mr Smythe started talking about his company's Christmas party. Apparently, they'd booked Justin Timberlake to sing at the party, and they were expecting Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to attend. Now that was interesting, and when Mr Smythe invited both Paula and Blaine to the party, they didn't have to think twice about it.

It got even better when Kurt announced over dinner that he'd been invited too.

Blaine cocked his head to the side, puzzled, and then remembered Kurt's paid internship at R/GA. Right, of course! Well, if Kurt was going, that made it so much better still. They could gawk at the celebrities together, and enjoy the music, and maybe dance…

The day of the party, Blaine helped Kurt with the boots he'd chosen to wear with his outfit, swallowing when he noticed how snugly they hugged Kurt's calves, and how tight the pants were that Kurt wore with them. Not leaving much to the imagination.

 _Get a grip,_ he told himself, _and stop perving._

Kurt seemed to appreciate Blaine's outfit too, and grinned happily when Blaine took his hand outside and threaded his fingers through Kurt's "to keep them warm".

The party venue was already packed when they arrived, and Kurt tugged Blaine to the R/GA designers he worked with. They were in the middle of a discussion about the latest campaign for Nike when Blaine heard Paula and Mr Smythe, and he saw them come nearer. Quickly, he hid behind one of the designers.

"Oh, there's Kurt!" Paula shouted. "I'm gonna have a chat with him, Seb, you can go schmooze with the important people."

"Any friend of yours is an important person to me," Mr Smythe simpered, and followed Paula.

Blaine caught Kurt's eye and mouthed, "I need the restroom". He slinked away before Mr Smythe could notice him, stayed in the restroom a good long while and then, when he saw Mr Smythe was still talking to Kurt's group, he hid in a shadowy corner and waited for the guy to move on.

Clearly, inappropriate touching was a habit of Mr Smythe's. He slung his arm over the shoulder of a colleague, and never batted an eye when she made a face and removed his arm. And then he turned to Kurt, said something that made everyone laugh and slapped Kurt's ass.

Blaine's blood boiled, and he stalked in their direction, but Kurt didn't need anyone to save him. Quick as a flash, he slapped the guy's hand and snapped, "Keep your hands to yourself, you lech!"

Mr Smythe clearly wasn't used to that reaction, and gaped at Kurt for a moment before laughing weakly and moving on to the next group of people.

Blaine stole back to his place next to Kurt and slid his hand in Kurt's.

"I saw a karaoke machine near the stage," he whispered. "Maybe we can sing a duet later?"

Kurt beamed and nodded.

The concert by Justin Timberlake was amazing, and Blaine spent most of it jumping up and down and singing along and whooping and clapping. It made Kurt giggle. His dancing and cheering was a lot less energetic, though he seemed to enjoy the concert.

When Kurt's arms snaked around his waist, Blaine leaned into the embrace with a happy sigh and a wriggle. Being hugged from behind felt wonderful. Blaine couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so safe and loved.

They moved together to the music. It was a bit weird to feel Kurt's dick harden against his ass and poke him, but Blaine decided that after all the times he'd been grinding against Kurt in his sleep, he certainly shouldn't judge.

When the concert ended, Blaine clapped longer than anyone else, grinning ear to ear.

A woman announced that it was now time for karaoke, and you could sign up at the table next to the machine.

Blaine, happy and secure in Kurt's embrace, decided to wait for a bit. They could sing together later.

He jolted, though, when he recognised the voice of the first performer.

"Uhm, so, I tend to sing to… get something off my chest. To deal with my emotions. So… This song… It wasn't in the catalogue, so I'm going to sing it a cappella. It's called _D'amour ou d'amitié_ , by Céline Dion."

Kurt! That was Kurt! Then who was plastered against him?

The guy behind him murmured, "Céline Dion, could that twink be any more of a cliché? Want to get out of here, killer? I can't wait to pound into that ass of yours!"

Blaine, shocked, turned around, and yes, that was Mr Smythe who'd draped himself all over Blaine and had been grinding against him.

Blaine felt sick to his stomach, and pushed the guy away. "Get off me!"

Mr Smythe stumbled, and he looked surprised. "What? You were all for it a moment ago!"

Just then, Kurt started to sing, and Blaine snapped, "Shut up and leave me alone!"

Without even waiting for Mr Smythe's reaction, Blaine turned to the stage to look at Kurt and listen to him.

His beautiful voice soared through the room, and Blaine was… entranced.

And then he started to pay attention to the lyrics, and that was a punch to the throat. It was about someone who was in love with a guy who kept stringing them along because he couldn't decide if he wanted love or just friendship.

Blaine thought of what he'd promised himself, and what he'd told Trent – that he had to be sure. It had seemed reasonable to Blaine, but now he wondered if he'd postponed being with Kurt for real just because he was scared. Scared to give his all to the relationship and still see Kurt walk away after a while. And that was unfair to Kurt, wasn't it? Kurt had travelled across the world and faced a dangerous warlock to try and break Blaine's spell. Clearly, there was nothing flighty about his affection.

If Blaine could picture them growing old together, if everything they shared together felt so right, if he felt sexually attracted to Kurt while he'd never felt like that with anyone else before, all that had to mean something, didn't it?

It looked like love had crept up on Blaine without him even noticing. Now that he'd realised his feelings, though, he couldn't wait to tell Kurt about them, and he beamed at his love, shining so brightly there up on stage.

His heart squeezed painfully in his chest when he saw that Kurt was crying. Crying because of Blaine's indecisiveness. Well, there would be no more of that. Blaine was sure now, and he'd tell Kurt so straightaway.

Kurt ended the song with a long high trill, and got a generous hand of applause.

Blaine tried to catch his eyes, but Kurt looked down and hurried off the stage and out of the ballroom.

Blaine chased after him, determined to say his piece before he lost his nerve.

"Kurt! Kurt, wait! Wait up!"

Kurt turned around, his expression icy. "Oh, look who's remembered I exist! The slut ditched you already, did he? Can't say I'm surprised."

"I… What?"

"I said Sebastian's a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy."

"Uhm…"

"But if he's your type, I'm sure all you need to do is go to a gay bar and shake your ass like you've been doing all night. I'm sure there'll be tons of guys who'll want to sleep with you."

Blaine's confusion only grew. What on earth was Kurt talking about?

Kurt looked daggers at Blaine, and then turned around and walked away.

Blaine ran to catch up with him. "Kurt, please!"

"What?" Kurt snapped.

"I love you!" Blaine panted. "You're the only one… I ever want to be with."

Kurt scoffed. "You've got a strange way of showing it."

"I know… I kept you waiting… but please… give me a chance!"

Kurt kept walking. "I gave you dozens of chances, and you never took them. What's different now? You're suddenly ready to kiss me and live happily ever after?"

Hope bloomed in Blaine's chest. "Yes!"

Kurt stopped and glared at Blaine again. "No, thank you."

Blaine's stomach plummeted. "What? Why not?"

"Because I have never felt less like kissing you, and either you can't tell or you just don't care," Kurt shouted. "I saw you, Blaine! Grinding against Sebastian, with a smile on your face, while I was standing right next to you! Am I supposed to be okay with that? Be your official plus one while you're always on the lookout for someone else to fuck? NO. WAY. I deserve better than that. I'm not going to throw myself away on someone who doesn't respect me enough not to screw around. Because I matter. If I'm not enough for you, you can look elsewhere, and turn into a dog forever a year from now, for all I care."

Right on cue, Blaine's skin shrunk and his jaw widened, until a moment later, he was in his dog form again, his clothes a crumpled heap around him.

Blaine whined, frustrated beyond belief.

Why? Why now? He had to tell Kurt he was mistaken. That Blaine had thought it was Kurt he was getting cosy with. That Blaine had never wanted anything to do with that sleaze ball. That he only wanted Kurt, now and forever.

Kurt's mouth trembled and twitched, and he shook his head. "I can't deal with this right now. I can't."

"Let me," a voice behind Blaine offered.

Paula! Oh, he'd have a bone to pick with her as soon as he was human again. Why did she ever encourage that idiot friend of hers to hit on Blaine? And why did that guy think it was acceptable to feel up complete strangers whenever the mood struck him? And why hadn't Blaine noticed earlier that it wasn't Kurt at all who was holding him? That something felt off?

Kurt jumped a foot in the air when Paula spoke, but when she reiterated, "Let me look after Blaine this week", he nodded slowly, and took Blaine's collar and leash out of his inside pocket to hand them to Paula. Then he turned around and walked away.

 _No! No, Kurt, don't leave me!_

Blaine threw his head back and howled.

Kurt stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

Blaine made his eyes plead with all the words he couldn't say. _Please come back. Please! I love you…_

Kurt let out a dry sob, clapped a hand over his mouth and dissolved into tears, shaking his head, turning around again and running away as if he had hell hounds on his heels.

Blaine crumpled into a ball of mute misery, and it took Paula a good half hour to persuade him to come home with her.

He didn't want to move ever again. He didn't want to be anywhere but with Kurt. How had an evening that started out so well turned into this? Had he left it too late? Had he lost Kurt forever?


	16. Chapter 15: A Nasty Shock

Author's Note:

This chapter (Kurt's POV) is as angsty as the one that came before, but I promise you a happy ending, cross my heart. Hang in there, please! They will sort things out in the end!

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

Chapter 15: A Nasty Shock

Kurt had to hand it to R/GA's PR department: they knew how to throw a party. The venue they'd hired was upscale and tastefully decorated, the drinks and the finger food were of good quality, and the music was excellent and would get even better once Justin Timberlake arrived.

Standing there talking to Joanne and Peter, Blaine's hand warm and comforting on his lower back, Kurt felt his apprehension about the party fade away. He'd dreaded coming here, but perhaps he'd been too hasty to condemn Sebastian and his pursuit of Blaine. He'd seen hide nor hair of him so far, and he hoped it would stay that way, so that he and Blaine could enjoy the evening.

When Sebastian finally did turn up, Blaine was just gone to the restroom. Perfect. Kurt hoped that Blaine would stay away until Sebastian had moved on to another group of people. The guy got on his nerves, though, first touching Joanne in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, and then slapping Kurt's ass out of the blue.

Kurt slapped Sebastian's hand right back and made him leave with a flea in his ear. Honestly! Did the guy have NO sense of boundaries?

Blaine came back with happy tidings – there would be karaoke later! And Blaine wanted to sing with Kurt!

Now that the Sebastian threat had passed, Kurt relaxed and had a good time. Justin Timberlake was a great performer – and easy on the eyes – and Kurt happily bopped to the beat. Every now and then, he snuck a glance at Blaine next to him, who was dancing with abandon and cracked Kurt up with his dorky moves.

Towards the end of the concert, though, Kurt got a nasty shock when his head turned Blaine's way again.

Sebastian had found Blaine, and was plastered against him, his front against Blaine's back. Blaine, far from jumping away and berating Sebastian, wriggled even closer, his ass against Sebastian's crotch, his eyes closed and the corners of his mouth turned up into a wide smile.

Kurt felt as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over him. Numb and cold to the bone, he watched the nightmare unfold – Blaine and Sebastian, moving sinuously to the music, until Sebastian was quite clearly thrusting more than dancing, grinding his hard-on against Blaine's ass.

Still, Blaine seemed content. He didn't move away at all. He didn't grimace. He grinned. He seemed to really enjoy Sebastian's attentions.

 _So that's what I should have done, is it? Jump Blaine's bones from the get-go?_

Kurt shuddered. No, that wasn't his style at all.

Justin Timberlake ended his last song to loud applause, and Kurt clapped politely.

 _Well, if Sebastian is who Blaine wants, I won't cramp his style. But I need to sing a song to get all these feelings out before they choke me…_

So Kurt headed to the karaoke machine, and signed up for the first slot. Of course, the song he wanted wasn't available, but he told Sandra he'd sing it without musical accompaniment.

As soon as he started singing, all his feelings rushed through him and poured out into the song – the love he felt, the uncertainty Blaine had kept him in, the anger and the sadness that caused, and now the heartbreak caused by Blaine choosing Sebastian over him.

Kurt sang most of the song with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, the first person he saw was Blaine, alone now, and looking at him starry-eyed and beaming.

In his head, he heard Mr Zakharov's mocking voice, _"Up to his old tricks, is he, Blaine? Making you feel like you're the only boy in the world to him and then friend-zoning you?"_

Yes, that was exactly what Blaine did. Over, and over, and over. But Kurt wasn't going to fall for it again. Ever. No way. He'd been putting up with it for far too long already, and he'd reached his limit. He'd had it with Blaine and his running hot and cold. Yes, he loved him, and that would probably ache for the rest of his life, but this was not a healthy situation to stay in, so he needed to get out of it. Now. No doubt Rachel would let him crash at her place until he got another dog sitting assignment.

As soon as Kurt had finished singing, he hopped off the stage and ran to the exit, already checking his pockets for his subway card and figuring out which line he needed to take to get from this venue to Bushwick.

Someone followed him, and as soon as that person spoke, Kurt knew it was Blaine. He turned around and let Blaine have it.

Blaine, who'd never experienced true Kurt Hummel snark or glares so far, shrank back, but that didn't stop Kurt at all. He decimated Blaine, and then walked off without another look.

Blaine pursued him, pleaded with him and then offered to kiss him.

That made Kurt see red, and once again he tore into Blaine, viciously. If he really thought that Kurt was that much of a doormat, he had another think coming. Seriously? Ten minutes ago, Blaine was dry-humping with another guy right in front of Kurt, and now he was expecting Kurt to brush that off as if it were nothing and skip into the sunset with him? Delusional!

Blaine, instead of apologising, turned into a dog.

 _Well, isn't that just typical! Anything to avoid a confrontation…_

Blaine whined, and Kurt instantly felt a pull towards him, to pet him and soothe him and tell him it would all be okay. He straightened his back and forced himself not to move a muscle, except to say that he couldn't deal with this right now. He truly couldn't. One week with Blaine the adorable dog and he'd cave for sure.

And then he jumped out of his skin when someone said, "Let me."

Who had followed them into the hall and had been eavesdropping?

It proved to be Professor Scher, and she offered to look after Blaine while he was a dog.

Kurt, tired and defeated, agreed to that and handed over Blaine's collar and leash, turning his back on Blaine and walking away.

Blaine let out a howl so full of pain and despair that it seared through Kurt's body and stopped him short.

 _Don't look back. Don't look back!_

But Kurt, always the masochist, did so anyway, and Blaine's stricken expression almost brought him to his knees. Why did Blaine have to have such expressive eyes? So. Unfair.

And then Blaine's eyes turned pleading, and again Kurt felt that pull, but then he remembered what had happened before. That betrayal was still fresh enough to make him choke and tear up, and before he knew it, he was at the subway station, panting and his spleen protesting violently at having had to run so hard.

Now that Professor Scher was taking Blaine home, Kurt decided to go to Blaine's apartment first and pack up all his stuff, so that he wouldn't need to go back there. It didn't take him long. Thanks to his dog-sitting experiences, he'd become an expert at packing, knowing exactly how to roll up and stack everything to fill his suitcase to its maximum capacity in record time.

On his way to Bushwick, he took the key marked 'Devon' off his keychain and flipped it over and over in his hand. He'd leave it at Trent and Ashton's. He had no business keeping it. Still, as he looked at the metal warming on his palm, his first instinct was to close his fist around it. _Mine!_

 _Well, you thought that about Blaine, too, and look how that turned out_ , snapped a snide voice in his head.

Kurt sighed and put the key in his inside pocket.

By the time Kurt had climbed the stairs to the loft with his luggage, he was worn out, and wanted nothing more than to fall face first onto a bed and sleep. But when he pulled open the dragging door, what he saw made him yelp and want to wash his brain with bleach.

Rachel was lying on the sofa, naked, and a guy was kneeling in front of her, eating her out.

 _Ugh, ugh, ugh!_

Kurt shuddered and threw his hands over his eyes just as Rachel shrieked "Kurt!" and scrambled to cover herself.

A moment later, Rachel yelled at him, "What are you doing here?"

But Kurt paid her no mind. He had recognised the guy who was with her, and hissed, "Jesse? How dare you show your face here! You cursed Finn! He died because of you!"

Jesse huffed. "Not that again… I explained to Rachel that I DIDN'T curse Finn. How could I? I don't have any magic. No-one in my family does. All I meant back then was that Rachel and Finn were never meant to be. They were just too different."

Jesse put his arm around Rachel and kissed her cheek. "Now, Rachel and me, THAT's a great match. Both excellent singers and dancers and actors, ambitious and driven…"

Kurt raised an eyebrow and thought, "… _and full of yourselves."_

Rachel repeated, "Kurt, what are you doing here?"

"I texted you," Kurt said. "I had a place to stay lined up, but it fell through last minute. Can I please crash here tonight? Tomorrow I'll be off to Ohio for Christmas."

Rachel looked at Jesse, who shrugged.

"Sure," Rachel said. "But… Jesse's living here too, now. So…"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'll be out of your hair tomorrow by six a.m. at the latest, I swear. I won't cramp your style. I just need a place to sleep, and access to a shower, and half a shelf in the fridge, that's all."

Rachel nodded. "Okay."

"My bed's still over there?" Kurt asks, pointing to the partition wall behind which used to be his 'room'.

"Yep."

"Then I'm going to shower and get into bed. Goodnight!"

Kurt didn't wait for an answer, wheeling his suitcase to his part of the loft, stripping quickly and hopping into the shower.

In bed, he'd expected to fall asleep straightaway, as exhausted as he was, but sleep eluded him. He'd gotten so used to sleeping with Blaine that he couldn't sleep without him anymore.

 _Well, isn't that just great…_

After a few hours of tossing and turning, he grabbed his phone and looked up sleep aids. He ended up buying an inflatable boyfriend pillow, to be sent to his father's address.

 _Yep. I'm officially pathetic._

K&B

Of course, when he arrived in Ohio, the first thing Burt asked was why he hadn't brought Blaine.

"I don't want to talk about it, Dad."

Burt gave him a piercing look, but didn't press the issue.

Of course, when Carole came home from her shift, she also asked after Blaine.

Kurt, already moving in for a hug, stiffened and turned away. "He's not coming."

Carole frowned. "Why not?"

Kurt gritted his teeth. "Because. I'll be in my room if you need me."

He went to his room, flopped down on the bed and cried himself to sleep.

When he woke up, it was late afternoon. The daylight was dimming into dusk already, his head hurt like hell and his mouth felt like sandpaper.

Knock-knock.

"Come in," Kurt croaked, and Carole slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

"I didn't want you to sleep too long or you won't be able to sleep tonight," Carole said, sitting down on the bed.

Kurt shrugged.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Carole asked, gently smoothing his bangs out of his face. "Did you and Blaine break up?"

Kurt scoffed. "For that, we would have had to be dating first."

"But it felt like you were well on your way there," Carole protested. "I really thought…"

"Yeah, me too."

Kurt's throat was thick as he forced the words out, and Carole's expression turned even more concerned. "What happened?"

"He likes someone else better."

Saying it out loud felt like ripping off a plaster, and Kurt couldn't help the tears that sprung up in his eyes.

Carole switched to bafflement. "Are you sure? That boy worships the floor you walk on!"

"Quite sure. Yes. He left no room for doubt."

And that dry statement set Kurt off on another bout of ugly sobbing. Carole hastened to take him into her arms and hold him tight.

When Kurt resurfaced, his nose and eyes red and his headache now blinding, Carole patted him on the arm. "I'm going to make you a nice cup of chamomile tea, and then we're going to watch some Christmas movies on television, with the cinnamon cookies I've just taken out of the oven. Come along."

Sweets and tea and feel-good television couldn't heal his heart, but they did make him feel slightly better.

Burt thankfully didn't mention Blaine again the rest of the day, and didn't ask why Kurt had been crying. Before he and Carole went to bed, though, Burt hugged his son, long and tight, and dropped a kiss on the crown of his head.

Christmas was a quiet affair. Kurt didn't feel like cooking, so Carole whipped something up. The conversation at the table was halting and a bit stilted, as they all had a hard time avoiding the elephant in the room.

After dinner, Kurt excused himself to his room and worked for school. He debated e-mailing Professor Scher to ask if there was any way he could take the rest of his graphic design classes with her instead of Blaine, but decided that was too petty and childish. He could conquer this. He could.

 _I can't promise to be civil to Sebastian, though. I hate him. Out of so many people he could have picked at that party, he goes for Blaine. Was that to spite me because I slapped his hand? And what does Sebastian have that I don't?_

 _Money_ , his mind supplied. _Sex appeal. Experience_.

 _Hey, you're supposed to make me feel better, not worse_ , Kurt protested, and then he laughed, because he was arguing with himself, and how ridiculous was that?

K&B

A few days after Christmas, the dog agency called him with a new dog-sitting assignment. Poodles, this time, and he'd be looking after them for six weeks.

Kurt accepted eagerly, and just after New Year's, he rolled his suitcase into his new temporary home. The poodles were nice, but their tight black curls made him think of another dog with a dark curly coat, a sweet and cuddly playmate that he missed more than he could say.

At night, the inflatable boyfriend pillow proved invaluable to help him fall asleep. However pathetic it might be, the illusion of having an arm around him was comforting.

He dropped in at Trent and Ashton's place and gave them the key to Blaine's apartment. They didn't seem surprised, only sad, so Blaine must have briefed them already.

"Are you sure you don't want to hold on to it?" Trent asked tentatively.

Kurt squared his jaw. "Quite sure, thank you."

"He thought it was you, you know," Ashton said.

"Uhm, what?"

"Blaine. He thought it was you hugging him from behind."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Seriously? He thought I'd dry-hump him in public? And how could he not tell the difference between me and Sebastian?"

"I know, right?" Trent shouted. "I asked him that too, and he said he smelled a whiff of Creed Green Irish Tweed. And that made him think it was you. He said you borrow his perfume sometimes."

Kurt bit his lip. "That's true. I like having his scent around me. And he's always more affectionate when I smell like him. Probably a dog trait he's adopted. Still. He should have checked. He broke my heart."

"And his own into the bargain," Ashton said. "He's really depressed."

Kurt glared at Ashton. "That's not MY fault! He can't blame anyone but himself. I've been clear about my feelings from the very beginning. He's the one who kept me hanging and then dry-humped with some other guy."

"He'd never have done that if he hadn't thought it was you," Trent pointed out. "He's never felt sexually attracted to anyone except you."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "And you know that how?"

Trent clammed up, shifty-eyed.

Ashton giggled. "Trent promised not to tell, but I didn't, so… Blaine has been having sex dreams about you. And he talked about it with Trent, 'cause he thought something was wrong with him. He felt horrible about having those dreams."

Kurt frowned. "As in… he's never had such dreams before? About anyone? Really? That's weird."

Trent shrugged. "I guess he's asexual. Or demi, seeing as he's into you."

Kurt processed that for a moment. "Right. That's… kind of comforting to know. I thought… I really thought he was into Sebastian."

Trent made a face. "Ugh, no. He said the guy gives him the creeps. That he wanted to punch his teeth out for touching him that way."

That made Kurt laugh. "Boxer Blaine in action. Wouldn't that have been great…"

Kurt eyed the key on the table, then looked away. "I'm still not going back to him, though. If he wants me, he'll need to PROVE it to me. I'm not going to throw myself away on someone who refuses to commit. I deserve better than that."

"We'll pass on the message," Ashton promised.

"But no stalking me!" Kurt continued. "I don't want to bump into him wherever I go. And no harassing me in class either. Tell him to give me space."

"We will," said Ashton.

"We're on your side," Trent added. "Blaine has been taking you for granted. It's good that he got this wake-up call. We'll kick his butt into gear, don't worry."

Kurt nodded and got up. "I need to get going. Dogs to walk."

"We still on for jogging tomorrow?" Trent asked.

"Yep. See you then!"

K&B

The next evening, when Kurt and the poodles met up with Trent to go jogging, Trent was grinning ear to ear.

"Wow, you're in a good mood," said Kurt.

"Yep."

"Want to share with the class?"

Trent grinned wider. "Later."

After half an hour, they slowed to a halt.

"Well, I'm going to take these ladies back home," Kurt announced, crouching down and scratching one of the poodles under the chin.

Trent zipped his jacket open, and took out a plastic bag containing something rectangular. "Take this, too."

Kurt accepted the bag and peeked in it. He saw a letter and a long slim box with 'You bring colour to my life' written on it in gold lettering.

"From Blaine?" he guessed.

He peeked inside the box, and saw a neat row of colourful macarons.

Trent winked and scampered off, shouting over his shoulder, "Enjoy! I got a box, too, for playing delivery boy."

"Sweet tooth!" Kurt laughed. He put the box back into the bag and walked back to the apartment he was staying at with a spring in his step.

He waited until bedtime to open the letter, and smiled when he recognised Blaine's handwriting.

" _Dearest Kurt,_

 _I should have told you long before what I was starting to feel for you. You've always been open with me, and I admire you for that, but I was scared. Scared because these feelings were new to me, and so strong they overwhelmed me at times._

 _You came into my life and turned it upside down. You dazzled me. With your smile, your wit, your inspired designs, your honesty and the friendship you offered without asking anything in return._

 _It's as if I was living in Dorothy's Kansas and you brought me to Oz. Suddenly, life had so much more colour and vibrancy to it, because I had you._

 _I'm sending you macarons today, because I want to be the colour in your life as well. I made these for you. Lemon, for the zing of your retorts. Pistachio, for your delightful nuttiness and the laughs we've shared. Chocolate, for the richness of your talent. Rose, for your sense of fashion and your flair. Salted caramel, for all the ways in which you keep surprising me in the most delightful way. Raspberry, for how bright you shine and how much you stand out. Passionfruit, for your passion and your drive. And last but not least coffee, for the kick that you give to any conversation, to each new idea._

 _You are so stimulating, so innovative, such a bright star. I miss you in my sky._

 _Please come back whenever you're ready. I'll be waiting for you._

 _With all my love,_

 _Blaine_ "


	17. Chapter 16: Something to Prove

**Author's Note:** **This is the end of the angst, I promise. Blaine will make things right again :-) I'm pretty sure this chapter will leave you smiling.** **Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)**

Chapter 16: Something to Prove

A dog week had never felt so long to Blaine. Usually, he breezed through it, and since Kurt had arrived, he enjoyed being a dog so much more.

Now, though, he lay in a corner of Paula's kitchen, moping. He hardly ate a bite, and refused to go out, using an old litter box that used to belong to a pet ferret instead.

Paula tried petting him, but when he growled at her, she backed off and laughed. "Okay, okay, I get it, you don't want me, you want Kurt. Better use your time well, then, Mr Sulky, making plans for how you're going to win him over again."

Blaine threw her the vilest look he could manage, but it only made her coo and pronounce him adorable, so he sighed and curled up in a ball. And made plans, yes.

Kurt needed to know that Blaine had never wanted to do… _that_ … with Sebastian. That Kurt was the only one on Blaine's radar. That Blaine was in love with him – he was quite sure of that now.

Blaine wanted to take Kurt out on dates. Wanted to walk on the sidewalk hand in hand. Wanted to kiss Kurt, and wow, that thought made his stomach swoop.

The plotting and planning made time pass a tiny bit faster, so Blaine planned out enough dates to fill the next five years or so. When he was finally back to normal, he hurried to put on his clothes again and ran the six blocks to his apartment with barely a goodbye for Paula before he left.

He hadn't counted on Kurt being gone. Not just away for an hour to go walk some dogs, but gone. There was no trace of him anywhere in the apartment. It was as if he'd never been there at all.

Blaine let out a sob and sank down on the sofa with his head in his hands. What was he going to do now?

He really didn't want to go anywhere, but he needed to know where Kurt was, so he bought Thai take out and showed up on Trent and Ashton's doorstep.

They let him in, but neither of them smiled at him. They seemed… angry?

And then Trent let him have it for breaking Kurt's heart. "Really, Blaine, I really thought you'd LEARNT something from the mistakes you made before! We were all convinced you were falling for Kurt. That you'd kiss him and break the spell any day now. And then you go and wrap yourself around the first slut that comes on to you. Right in front of Kurt! Are you insane?!"

As soon as Blaine could get a word in edgewise, he explained that he'd mistaken the guy for Kurt. That earned him an eye-roll and a stony stare.

Well, if that was his best friend's reaction, it didn't bode well for Kurt's.

Blaine pleaded his case, assuring Trent and Ashton that he wanted to make things right with Kurt, and that yes, he did love Kurt and wanted him as his boyfriend. "So please help me out, okay? I know I messed up, guys, but I swear I'll do whatever it takes to get Kurt to forgive me."

After a wordless conversation between the married couple, they turned to him.

"Okay," said Ashton. "We'll help. But to be clear: we're doing it for Kurt, not for you."

Trent glared at Blaine. "You're on thin ice, mister!"

"Noted," said Blaine. "Trent, do you have any idea where Kurt is? I went home and none of his stuff is there. He moved out."

Trent crossed his arms. "Of course he did. And I advised him not to move back in with you until you've at least proposed to him."

Blaine frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because otherwise, you'll just go back to the way things were before," Trent snapped at him. "Keeping Kurt around because it's convenient. Keeping him pining and unsatisfied. No. You've taken advantage of people for long enough."

"B-but…"

"No buts. You're a grown man, you need to learn how to get through life without constantly depending on someone else to sort out your problems. If you need a live-in dog sitter – because you still haven't broken the curse though you could have done so ages ago – then hire someone else. And do it straightaway or make a note in your Outlook agenda, so that you won't forget. You can't keep counting on me or Paula or Kurt to save your sorry ass every time you're in trouble. You have to foresee your next dog spell and PLAN for it. I can't believe I have to tell you this. For the love of God, man, you're thirty years old, not three! You're as helpless as a baby when it comes to practical stuff!"

Blaine looked at Trent with wide eyes and nodded.

"Well, make a note in your agenda, what are you waiting for?"

Blaine whipped out his phone and made a note to drop off a spare key at the dog walking agency. He wasn't going to hire a dog sitter, though. That would mean explaining his predicament to yet another person. No. A dog walker would have to do, and he'd keep his e-mail to the agency on stand-by and send it as soon as he felt a spell coming on.

"Now, to answer your question," Trent said, "Kurt is in Ohio. Gone to visit his dad. And when he gets back, he'll be dog-sitting again at some place not far from Parsons. Until half February. The 20th, I think he said. So if I were you, I'd plan my proposal on Valentine's day. That gives Kurt some time to think it over and to move in with you if he says yes."

Blaine felt his hair prickle uncomfortably on his arms at the mention of Burt.

 _Uh-oh. That means Burt knows everything. And he's going to hate me now, for hurting his kid._

Then the part about him proposing sank in.

"Wait – what? You're expecting me to propose to Kurt? Two months from now?"

Trent hummed in assent. "Oh, yeah. Knowing how extra you are, it probably won't take you that long. Now that you've finally realised you have feelings for Kurt, you'll just blurt out 'I love you. Marry me?' the next time you see Kurt."

"Wh… No, I won't!"

Trent and Ashton laughed.

"Seriously, though," said Ashton, "you might want to take it slow. Work up to it. Or Kurt will never believe it's genuine."

"Take it slow," Blaine repeated.

"Think of what you love about Kurt," Ashton advised, and then, when Blaine was about to start listing everything, he held up his hand, "and tell KURT, not us!"

"Right. But what if he doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Then you write him letters," Ashton suggested. "That's way more romantic anyway. And you can send him care packages, too. You're great at gifts. Bake him cookies, give him an accessory or a piece of art that reminds you of him. Show him that he's on your mind. That you know him and know what he likes. That you two fit together well. Convince him that you're worth taking a second chance on."

"Second?" Trent scoffed. "More like millionth. But yes, Ash, that's a really good idea. Go all out, Blaine, but in a Victorian courtship kind of way. Letters and gifts. Kurt is going to love that."

When he got back home, Blaine felt his brain teeming with ideas, but he knew there was one thing he had to do first. Though he was quaking inside, he looked up the landline number for Hummel's Tires and Lube and called it the very next morning.

As he had expected, Burt was less than pleased with him, and reamed him out thoroughly. When Blaine got the chance to say his piece, he told Burt it had been a misunderstanding, and that he was serious about Kurt and planning on proposing to him in the near future, "if I may have your blessing, sir?"

Burt stayed silent for good long while, and then harrumphed. "You'd better make him happy, you hear? I never want to see him as sad again as he's been the past week. Made me think of when he was little and his mom had just died."

Blaine swallowed with difficulty. "Yes, sir. I wanted to ask you something, sir. Kurt mentioned a set of scrapbooks he'd filled with wedding planning. Would you mind sending them to New York, to my address, so that we can use them as a frame of reference? I'll pay for the postage."

Burt harrumphed again. "Stop with the 'sir', okay? It's Burt. And all right, I'll have Carole look for those books, and I'll send them to you. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't, Burt. Thank you."

Blaine wired the money for the postage over to the Hummel's Tires and Lube account, and then set to the task of wooing Kurt the old-fashioned way. He had nowhere to go and nothing to do until his classes started again anyway, so he spent the last week of his Christmas break in a frenzy of activity, writing, designing, shopping, baking, plotting and planning.

As promised, Burt sent Blaine a big box with all of Kurt's scrapbooks. Not all of them were wedding-themed, but they were a goldmine of information about Kurt's likes and dislikes, so Blaine pored over them for days, and marked all the interesting pages with post-its. Pink for gift ideas, blue for proposal and wedding planning, yellow for letter-writing inspiration and green for date ideas.

When Ashton dropped in a few days later, he took in the mess that was the living room and whistled long and low. "What's all this?"

Blaine felt his cheeks heat up. "It's for Kurt."

"What are you, expecting to woo him for the next twenty years?"

Blaine blinked at Ashton. "I don't have that long, you know that. Is it too much?"

Ashton laughed. "Maaaaybe just a little. Look around you, man. It looks like Santa's workshop in here."

Blaine fiddled with his fingers. "I… I guess I like the idea of wooing him."

"Good. I'm pretty sure Kurt is going to like it too."

"You saw Kurt?" Blaine asked. "How is he?"

"Look who's an eager beaver! Yes. He came by to drop off your spare key."

Ashton dangled the key in front of Blaine's nose and then threw it onto the coffee table.

Blaine's heart sank at the reminder that Kurt didn't want to live with him anymore.

"We told Kurt you were never into Sebastian," Ashton continued. "He was relieved. But you still have a lot to make up for. Kurt says you're not to stalk him, though."

Blaine looked up at Ashton, shocked. "I would never. Only… I don't know how I'll get any of this stuff to Kurt. I don't have his address, and I don't think he'll appreciate me giving him letters and presents at school. I'll count myself lucky if he's so much as civil in my classes."

Ashton winked at Blaine. "We've got that covered. You can give your love notes to us and we'll make sure he gets them."

Blaine hugged Ashton. "Thank you!"

"So what's the first package?" Ashton asked. "I'll take it home with me. Trent is going jogging with Kurt tonight, he can give to him then."

When Blaine showed him the macarons, Ashton's eyes lit up. "Did you make some with salted caramel?"

Blaine grinned. "Yep. And chocolate for Trent. I filled you guys a box, too."

"Oh, yay! Thanks, man!"

Blaine clapped Ashton on the back. "Thank you for helping me out."

The next day, Ashton popped in again to tell Blaine Kurt had seemed happily surprised, and to encourage Blaine to keep it up. "Do you have another gift ready? I'm having lunch with Kurt in about an hour."

Blaine nodded. "Here. It's not baked goods this time, but if you deliver it for me, I'll cook dinner for you guys tonight."

"You're on!"

And so the pattern continued, either Ashton or Trent delivering the gifts. Paula, when she heard about Blaine's plans, wanted in on the fun, too, and called Kurt into her office once a week to give him one of Blaine's presents.

During class, Kurt was as diligent a student as he'd ever been, and perfectly polite to Blaine, but he didn't say one word more than the class work called for.

Kurt's friends noticed, and were under the impression that Kurt had finally gotten over his crush.

Blaine overheard Maizie saying, "It's about time. It's been… What? Two years? Oh, now that you're ready to mingle, I have a cousin that I think you'd be perfect for…"

Blaine hurried away and hoped with all his might that Kurt wouldn't start dating someone else.

He chose his gift with special care that day – a black enamel brooch with inlaid gems in the form of a unicorn, lovely and delicate, and wrote an accompanying note.

" _Dearest Kurt,_

 _Word at school has it that you're moving on. That you've put me out of your mind. I hope with all my heart that it's not true. That I still stand a chance with you._

 _I know I took too long to realise what I felt for you, but those feelings have been there from the very beginning, and they'll remain a constant for the rest of my life, I promise you._

 _Once I'd met you, you were all I saw. You are beautiful inside and out, and every new facet of yours I discover makes me love you more._

 _You're as unique as the brooch I enclose with this letter. There is no-one in the world quite like you. You were born to stand out, and you are proud to do so, even if it's not always easy. I admire that so much about you._

 _With all my love,_

 _Blaine_ "

In his first letters, Blaine had pleaded for Kurt to come back to him or to at least write back, but he'd given up on that after a week had passed without a word from Kurt.

 _If he has moved on, I can't blame him. But please, please, please don't let it be so._

K&B

Blaine woke up the next morning to find that he'd turned into a dog overnight. With no way of sending an e-mail to the dog walking agency, Blaine had no other option than to push his alarm button and hope that Trent would come.

His friend did come, of course, grumbling a little but doing everything required. "I take it you don't want another dog sitter or walker than Kurt? Is that why you haven't contacted the agency?"

Blaine hung his head, shame-faced.

Trent tsk'ed. "You want me to look after you this week, like before?"

Blaine gave Trent his most beseeching look, and Trent sighed. "I'll be back after work."

That afternoon, Blaine's phone started to ring and ring and ring, and Blaine looked up, aghast, remembering the appointment he had at four p.m.

 _Looks like I can scratch that bakery from the list. Damn. That was the best of the lot._

A little after five, Trent came and took Blaine out for a walk. Blaine was hungry, so when they got back, Blaine started scrunching as soon as Trent had filled up Blaine's food and water bowl.

Trent rolled his eyes and announced that he was going to look for Kurt's next gift, so that he could hand it to Kurt when they went jogging later. "Is it on the coffee table?"

Blaine looked up and nodded, and then resumed eating.

When his bowl was licked entirely clean, he heard voices in the living room, and he pricked up his ears. Was that Kurt? It was! And he was angry. Why?

Blaine wanted to face-palm when Kurt told Trent a bakery had called him out of the blue about an appointment for a wedding cake. Of course! Blaine remembered that Mrs Peters had insisted on jotting down the contact details of both grooms. _Uh-oh…_

"Is he crazy?" Kurt shouted. "I mean, the gifts and the notes is one thing. It's sweet, really, and I love it. But planning an entire wedding for us when there isn't even an 'us'? We aren't dating and we never have. We've never so much as kissed, and he's expecting me to marry him any day now? Is he insane? Did you know about this?"

Trent managed to calm Kurt down and went to the kitchen to make them coffee. Kurt sank down on the sofa with a big sigh.

Something caught his eye on the coffee table, and he reached for one of the scrapbooks. He thumbed through it, stopping at every post-it and reading what Blaine had jotted down on it, a smile flashing across his face ever so often.

Next, Kurt grabbed Blaine's wedding planning binder, and soon, he was so engrossed that he didn't even notice Trent when he arrived with coffee and cookies.

Trent backed away, put the tray on the kitchen table and crouched down to whisper to Blaine, "Now's your moment. Go to him!"

Blaine hesitated, but when he heard a broken sob from Kurt's direction, he was up on the sofa like a shot. Kurt was smiling, but crying at the same time, and before Blaine knew it, he had two paws on Kurt's lap and was licking all the salty moisture off Kurt's face.

That didn't stop the tears from coming. Quite on the contrary. Kurt put his forehead against Blaine's and cried harder still. Blaine kept cleaning up the tears, swiping his tongue all over Kurt's face, ecstatic that Kurt didn't push him away, and determined to cheer him up.

Kurt hiccupped and sniffled, and Blaine licked on and on, and felt such a wave of love and protectiveness sweep through him that it overwhelmed him for a moment and he had to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, he saw to his surprise that he'd turned back human. He didn't question it, but took Kurt in his arms and peppered his face with light, barely there kisses, murmuring, "Don't cry, beautiful. Please don't cry. I love you. I love so much."

That made Kurt look up and swallow away his tears. "I… I love you too."

Blaine beamed and kissed Kurt's cheek again.

"Weren't you a dog just now?" Kurt asked. "Has the spell changed? You were human yesterday! Is it a one-day thing now?"

Blaine shook his head slowly. "I… No. I think we broke the curse. Just now. When I licked your face."

Kurt grimaced. "You mean our true love's kiss was a slobbery lick? Really?"

Blaine laughed at Kurt's outrage.

"I feel so cheated right now," Kurt continued. "I want a do-over! With a real kiss!"

Blaine framed Kurt's face with his hands and promised, "You can have as many as you like."

Then he moved in slowly, until their lips met, and Kurt sighed into the kiss and threw his arms around Blaine's neck.

"Yeah, uhm, I'll… I'll just… go," said Trent.

Kurt, now nuzzling Blaine's jaw and mapping out his neck with kisses, didn't even react, but Blaine mouthed 'Thank you' and sent his friend a wink and a smile before tipping Kurt's chin up and claiming his lips again.

They kissed until they were drunk on it and started giggling like mad. Blaine felt like all the blood in his veins had been swapped for champagne – fizzy and heady and leaving him exhilarated and on top of the world. Every sound was suddenly so much clearer, every touch electric, every feeling a million times stronger.

"I love you," Blaine repeated, over and over, and Kurt's eyes shone as he answered in kind.

They ended up lying down on the sofa, their legs tangled, Blaine's arm slung around Kurt's waist, and Kurt drawing hearts on Blaine's chest with his pointer finger.

"Are you really planning a wedding for us?" Kurt wanted to know.

Blaine bit his lip. "I've been… scoping out the market, yes. But I haven't made any final decisions yet. I've just… narrowed down the field a little. Weeded out any supplier that's below par. And I've checked if they can supply what you want for your wedding."

Kurt let out a short laugh. "This is crazy! We haven't even been on our first date yet and we're already talking weddings."

Blaine swallowed. "I… I just… didn't want there to be any doubt about my intentions."

Kurt's eyes softened, and he cupped Blaine's cheek and kissed him. Then he smirked and asked, "So what are your intentions?"

"I want to grow old with you," Blaine said simply. "I want us to share our lives. I want to wake up to you in the morning and go to sleep with you at night. I want to make you happy. As happy as you've made me. I want to love you, now and forever."

Kurt smiled tremulously. "That's what I want, too."

Blaine gave him a bunny kiss that made him giggle, and after that, they kissed some more, and smiled dopily at each other.

"Just promise me something," Kurt said.

"Anything."

"Promise me the proposal won't be as much of a let-down as true love's kiss was."

Blaine threw his head back and laughed until Kurt joined in.

"It won't, love," Blaine assured Kurt. "I'll try and make it everything you've ever dreamt of."


	18. Chapter 17: With All My Love

Author's Note:

Warning for unapologetic schmoop and cotton candy fluff. Please brush your teeth extra carefully after consuming this :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

Chapter 17: With All My Love

Kurt had gone to sleep happy after getting the macarons and the love letter. Blaine was thinking of him. Blaine wanted him back!

Part of Kurt had wanted to run to Blaine straightaway and lay the world's most passionate kiss on him, but he remembered what Trent had told him when Kurt had called him, in tears, two days after the Sebastian incident. "Don't give in too soon. If you do, Blaine will just go back to the way things were before, because it's convenient for him. Wait it out. Wait until Blaine is ready and willing to give you the kiss that will break the spell. And whatever you do, don't move back in with him until he's at least proposed to you."

So Kurt waited, and to his delight, Blaine sent him a new surprise every day.

The macarons were followed by a Wicked poster signed by the original cast – " _No-one will ever sing Defying Gravity better than you. Nothing moves me as much as your singing. There's so much raw emotion in it that it tears me up every time_."

After that came a book bag with a design printed on it that made Kurt giggle. Blaine had drawn stylised versions of himself as a puppy, sitting, lying, running, jumping, eating, looking up with a doggy smile, tongue hanging out. Kurt marvelled at all the different drawings – none of them were identical, and there were dozens! Around the puppies, there were paths of paw prints, adding a swirling pattern to the design to make it even prettier.

The accompanying note said:

" _Dearest Kurt,_

 _I noticed your book bag was getting kind of frayed, so here's a new one for you. Maybe I should have drawn different kinds of dogs, but… This is from puppy me to you, so I've drawn my likeness in the hope that you won't forget about me._

 _With all my love,_

 _Blaine_ "

Professor Scher noticed the book bag the next time he had class with her, and cooed over it. Kurt felt his cheeks heat up and fiddled with his brooch to manage his nerves, but luckily, she didn't ask where he'd gotten the bag.

A few days later, though, she called him to her office, and as soon as the door was closed, she handed him a package that was clearly from Blaine.

Professor Scher grinned at Kurt's bafflement, and explained, "I knew that bag was Blaine's design. I'd recognise his style from miles away. So I asked what was going on, and Blaine said he'd been giving you presents to make up for what happened with Sebastian. He blames me, can you believe it? Thinks that I should never have brought Sebastian here so he could see Blaine and instantly fall in lust with him."

Professor Scher laughed as if that was an excellent joke, and Kurt felt his face turn into an icy mask.

 _There's nothing funny about Sebastian and his inappropriate behaviour. Don't expect me to laugh it off._

Professor Scher sighed. "But you're as much of a stick-in-the-mud about it as Blaine. Seb's harmless, really. A slut, yes, but he's into consensual sex. He really thought Blaine was agreeing to it."

"So did I," Kurt said in clipped tones. "That's why I left Blaine."

Professor Scher nodded. "But by now you know better, right? Blaine's not the kind to have hook-ups. And he's really cut up about this misunderstanding. So take pity on the guy and take him back. He's been sulking and whining non-stop and I'm sick of it."

Kurt squared his jaw. "Thank you for the package, Professor."

He turned around and left the office without one more word.

That afternoon, Sebastian dropped by the designers' department to talk to Kurt, not in the least disturbed by Kurt's arctic glare. "Paula says you're miffed because I made a move on that hot colleague of hers. I didn't know he was your boyfriend, man. If I'd known, I swear I'd have backed off."

Kurt didn't answer. He just turned back to his computer screen and went back to work.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Sebastian insisted. "And pass that on to the boyfriend, too, will ya?"

Kurt tweaked a circle he'd just drawn and completely ignored Sebastian until he went away. When the door closed behind him, Kurt let out a shaky breath and willed away the tears that were threatening. _My boyfriend. I wish._

When he opened the gift that night, it was a balm for his wounded soul. Blaine had sent him a beautifully illustrated fairy tale book, and the note that came with it read,

 _Dearest Kurt,_

 _Sometimes I feel like I'm in a fairy tale, waiting for my prince to come and rescue me. Only, he was there all along, wasn't he? I was just too blind to see it._

 _Kurt, my fair prince, I will dream of you at night and think of you by day and count down the days until you return to me, and we can live our happily ever after._

 _With all my love,_

 _Blaine_

K & B

Kurt did his best not to let his feelings show when he had class with Blaine, keeping his poker face on and not interacting with Blaine any more than he had to. That became harder week after week, because all Kurt could think of when he saw Blaine was the love notes and the gifts he kept sending Kurt.

The Burberry leash, because "i _t will go so well with your Burberry rain coat_ " – and of course it did.

The charming Alice in Wonderland themed tea set, complete with chamomile tea and a pot of organic honey, because " _I heard you coughing in class, and I don't want you to get ill again, please. This will soothe your sore throat and help you fall asleep_."

Blaine had always been attentive and caring, and Kurt had thrilled to that from the very beginning, but now Blaine was taking it to a whole new level, and slowly but surely chipping away at the walls Kurt had put up.

Kurt was starting to look forward to the gifts and the notes, and knew he would miss them when Blaine's charm offensive ended.

Three weeks into the spring semester, Kurt hummed happily as he came home from R/GA and put leashes on the poodles to take them to the park. It was Friday, so he had the whole weekend to look forward to, and at eight p.m, he'd be picking up three other dogs to go jogging with Trent, who no doubt would have a new surprise for him. Kurt couldn't wait to see what it was.

In the park, Kurt let the poodles run free for a moment and sat on a bench, day-dreaming. All of a sudden, his phone went off. An unknown number was calling him, and proved quite persistent. The ringing continued for a long time, and as soon as his phone pinged with a missed call notice, the same number called again.

Frowning, Kurt accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr Hummel. This is Denise Peters of the Sweetest Thing Bakery. You had an appointment with us at four p.m. to discuss your wedding cake and taste samples, but neither you nor Mr Anderson showed up."

Kurt, thinking on his feet, said, "Let me check my agenda, ma'am."

He rifled through one of his text books for school and then added, "Oh dear, it seems like we got our wires crossed. I have the appointment jotted down for tomorrow, at the same time. I'm so sorry, ma'am. Blaine must have made a mistake writing down the date."

"So you're still interested in having your wedding cake made by us?"

"Oh, definitely, ma'am, you were our top pick," Kurt lied glibly.

Denise seemed mollified by his praise and rang off with a "Oh, all right then, see you tomorrow at four!"

Kurt put his phone back into his pocket, whistled at the poodles to call them to him, and took them back home, fuming inside, and already thinking of what he was going to say to Blaine.

 _Seriously, who plans a whole wedding for someone he's not even dating? Was this supposed to be Blaine's last surprise? "I've brought all your friends and family here, and they're expecting us to get married today. Surprise!" That is just wrong on so many levels!_

As soon as the poodles were in the apartment and their food and drink bowls had been topped off, Kurt jogged to Blaine's apartment, furious clean through.

When he banged on the door, though, it was Trent who answered, explaining that Blaine had turned into a dog again the previous night. Kurt knew the transformation had been involuntary, as always, but still, it incensed him even more that he'd have to wait a week to confront Blaine about this. The anger swirling in his gut exploded, and before Kurt knew it, all his vexation came tumbling out, the words coming so fast and furious that he stumbled over them.

Trent patted him on the arm and led him to the sofa with a, "I'll make us some coffee and we can talk it over, okay?"

Kurt sank down on the sofa with a sigh. _This whole situation is such a mess!_

Then, he noticed the state of the coffee table, which was chock-full of books and papers, and he decided to make some room for the coffee tray. But when he crouched down to pick up a few books and put them elsewhere, he recognised the top one as one of his own scrapbooks. How did that get here? He looked at the other books, and yes, they were all his. How did Blaine persuade Burt to give him Kurt's scrapbooks?

And then Kurt remembered the call from the bakery and gritted his teeth. _Of course. Blaine must have called Dad with his wedding spiel, too._

Kurt took the topmost book of the stack. He recognised his most recent wedding scrapbook, compiled when he was about sixteen. He'd used several of these ideas for Burt and Carole's wedding, but had adapted them to fall colours and a ditto theme.

A few brightly coloured pieces of paper fluttered out of the book, and that tickled Kurt's curiosity. He picked them up, and read on the first one, "Top three for blue orchids: Stephanotis, Mary Quite Contrary, Top Pick Flowers. See wedding binder for more." The second one was about venues. "First available date at the Bowery Ballroom: 7th of June. At the NY Public Library: 14th of July. At the Loeb boathouse: 9 September. For more dates and venues: see wedding binder."

Intrigued now, Kurt sat down again and cracked open the book. It was full of post-its. Each one proved that Blaine had taken note of Kurt's wedding preferences and researched suppliers that could turn his vision into reality.

Moreover, the post-it notes also contained proposal ideas, each of them so very Blaine that they made Kurt tear up.

Contrary to what Kurt had thought, Blaine hadn't made any definitive plans yet. Most of the post-its mentioned the top three suppliers and a reference to this 'wedding binder'.

Kurt looked for the binder on the coffee table, and soon, he was completely engrossed in it. Blaine had thought of everything, making lists of suppliers for every aspect of the wedding, with extensive notes as to whom Blaine would pick and why. "I'd go with Stephanotis. Pricey but quality flowers, wide range on offer, quick delivery, beautiful compositions."

Soon, Kurt was full-on sobbing, because what Blaine had put together was so perfect that it hurt. It hurt so much, because Kurt wanted it. He wanted it all, and he wanted it now. He was so tired of fighting this. He was done being angry and sad and lonely. His heart yearned for Blaine.

All of a sudden, there was a warm body next to him, and a long tongue licking the tears from his cheek. Blaine! As always when he was a dog, he knew just what Kurt needed. That realisation tipped Kurt over the edge and made him break down completely. He put his forehead against Blaine's and cried his heart out.

How ironic was it that the puppy version of Blaine was so much more in touch with his emotions than human Blaine? Kurt had never once doubted puppy Blaine's love and devotion, because it just shone from his eyes and transpired from his every move.

On and on rolled his tears, and on and on, a warm and agile tongue made them disappear. Rather than grossed out, Kurt felt cherished and loved. He closed his eyes and stroked Blaine's back with the hand not holding the binder. _I love you. I never stopped. I wouldn't know how._

The next thing he knew, there were arms around him, and kisses all over his face, and a voice soft and sweet like honey whispering love declarations.

Blaine! He was human again!

Kurt knew that he had to be strong. That he had to hold out, like Trent had advised him. But Blaine was right there, wanting him. For now, yes. It might not last and it might not work, but he needed to do this. He needed Blaine to know that he felt the same. Still. Always. "I… I love you too."

That made Blaine's face light up from within, and he kissed Kurt's cheek.

How had he transformed again so quickly? Kurt had had class with him only yesterday! And he always stayed a dog for a week. Unless…

And yes, when he asked, Blaine confirmed it. The curse had been broken. By Blaine licking him as a dog.

 _I'm sorry, what? True love's kiss is supposed to be a fairy tale moment, and this is what I'm getting? So. Unfair. I wanted a real kiss! With fireworks going off in my head and a popping foot and everything like in the movies. This is such a let-down!_

Blaine found Kurt's indignation hilarious, which made Kurt even angrier, but then Blaine promised him as many kisses as he wanted, and that shut him up at once.

 _Oh yes, please!_

Kurt closed his eyes and leaned in, and soon, Blaine's lips were brushing his, tentatively at first, and then more firmly. It felt every bit as magical as Kurt had always hoped his first kiss would be, and he sighed happily and drew Blaine in closer.

Kurt could have stayed like this for days on end, the two of them exchanging kisses and sweet nothings and laughing from sheer happiness. But all too soon, his alarm went off to warn him he had dogs to walk. He sighed and got up.

"You're leaving?" Blaine pouted.

"Duty calls," Kurt sighed.

"I'll come with you," Blaine offered. As he stood up, a dangling motion alerted Kurt to the fact that Blaine was naked as the day he was born, and that sent him into fits of laughter.

"You… You had better… put some clothes on," Kurt wheezed out as soon as he could speak again, "if you want to come with me."

Blaine looked down in astonishment, and started laughing too. "I'll be just a minute."

Ten minutes later, they were walking the dogs of Kurt's eight p.m. assignment to the park. That reminded Kurt of his jogging appointment with Trent. "I'm supposed to meet up with Trent. When did he leave, anyway? At some point, I looked up, and he was just… gone."

Blaine smiled. "Somewhere around our first kiss. I don't think he'll show up tonight. Won't want to be a third wheel."

"Oh," said Kurt.

"Do I sense disappointment?" Blaine asked. "What does Trent have that I don't?"

Kurt felt his cheeks heat up. "No, it's not… I… It's just… Whenever we've gone jogging together, the past few weeks, Trent always slipped me a gift from you. I'm going to miss that. I looked forward to it every day."

Blaine grinned. "Wait 'till we're in the park."

As soon as the dogs were running around freely, Blaine took something out of his coat pocket and handed it to Kurt. "For you."

It proved to be a unicorn brooch, with colours that really popped, and a note that made Kurt's throat clog up and reach for Blaine with trembling hands. "Never. You're all I can see, too. You're it, for me."

Blaine beamed and kissed him again, so thoroughly that he took Kurt's breath away.

When he came up for air, Kurt said, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that. You know, I never understood what all the fuss about kissing was for. Swapping spit doesn't seem sexy, does it? But I get it now. I love kissing you. I never want to stop."

That declaration made Blaine reach for Kurt's face and claim his lips again.

The dogs got less petting and a longer playtime than usual that night, but none of them seemed to mind in the least. Their frolicking showed that they were just as happy as Kurt and Blaine.

After the dogs had been brought back to their respective homes, Blaine took Kurt's hands in his. "You're still dog-sitting, right?"

Kurt nodded. "For another three weeks and a half. Until the 20th of February."

"Can I come with you?" Blaine asked. "Please? I won't… I promised I won't try anything. I just… I haven't slept properly in weeks. I just want to hold you and know that I'm home."

"Ha! You won't be. It's not even my home."

"Home is not a place, for me," said Blaine. "It's the people that I love that make me feel at home. Wherever we are."

Kurt smiled tremulously. "Aww, you sap!"

"So can I come?"

Blaine unleashed the full force of his puppy eyes on Kurt, and of course Kurt gave in.

Later, when they lay in bed together, Kurt knew exactly what Blaine had meant. He'd clambered into bed and into Blaine's waiting arms, and it did feel like coming home.

They kissed for a good long while, until they started to nod off.

"Well, we'd best get some sleep," Kurt sighed. "I have to get up early again tomorrow."

"Goodnight, beautiful," Blaine said.

"Goodnight, honey."

"Kurt? May I take you on a date tomorrow?"

Kurt smiled into the darkness. "Yes. Yes, you may."


	19. Chapter 18: A Lot of Firsts

**Author's Note:**

 **Nope, no smut yet, sorry, only more schmoop and fluff...** **Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)**

 **Chapter 18: A Lot of Firsts**

When Kurt had to leave for a dog walking assignment later that evening, Blaine felt a prickle of dread. Blaine had declared himself now, and handed Kurt his heart for safe-keeping. Did Kurt believe him? Did he want to be with Blaine? Kurt wasn't going to slip out of his life again, was he?

Blaine didn't want to seem clingy, but he also didn't want to let Kurt walk away without any reassurances on this matter, so he offered to come with Kurt and help him walk the dogs.

It wasn't until Kurt pointed it out that Blaine realised he was still naked from the transformation. It cracked the both of them up, and that bout of merriment instantly made Blaine feel better. He dressed quickly, and held Kurt's hand all the way to the dogs' homes and then to the park. It felt amazing. He sneaked a few glances at their joined hands, grinning happily, and that grin only widened when he caught Kurt doing the same.

"I love you," he said, the words tumbling out of their own accord for the millionth time that day, yet Kurt's eyes lit up as beautifully as if it were the very first.

When Blaine gave Kurt the unicorn brooch and the accompanying letter, he got the reassurance he'd been craving. The letter made Kurt tear up and reel Blaine in close, murmuring that Blaine was the one for him too.

Blaine didn't check if anyone was around before taking Kurt's face in his hands and kissing him like his life depended on it.

Kurt drew away a few times to gulp in fresh air, and each time Blaine chased his lips as if Kurt provided the only oxygen he needed.

Blaine didn't know how much time had passed when they finally remembered the dogs and took them back home, but he did know it wasn't long enough by far.

Kurt was dog-sitting, so Blaine knew he couldn't come back to Blaine's apartment. But maybe Blaine could come with him? He needed to be close to Kurt. Preferably till death did them part, but he'd settle for right here right now.

Kurt seemed hesitant about letting him stay over, so Blaine gave him his most beseeching look. The one that even Pam had never been able to say no to.

"You don't play fair," Kurt grumbled as they walked towards the apartment where Kurt was staying.

Blaine, happy as a lark now, beamed at him. "All's fair in love and war, beautiful."

Kurt shot him a quick look, and a corner of his mouth ticked up. "Is that going to be my pet name from now on? What happened to 'honey' and 'sweetie'?"

Blaine shrugged. "Those are generic, and I use them for everyone. You deserve a special name just for you. And 'beautiful' suits you."

That made Kurt blush, and Blaine just had to kiss him again because he was so adorable.

It wasn't until they were lying in bed that Blaine initiated phase two of his wooing plan, and asked Kurt out on a date. He fist-pumped when Kurt said yes, and nodded off contentedly.

Then Kurt's voice jolted him awake again. "Just so you know, we have an appointment at The Sweetest Thing Bakery tomorrow at four p.m. Make sure you include that in your date plans."

"You rescheduled? Mrs Peters wasn't angry that we missed our appointment?"

Kurt chuckled. "I pretended that you'd written the date down wrong."

"Clever!" Blaine praised him. "I'm glad. She has the best reviews. And the best designs."

"And hopefully scrumptious caaaaaake," Kurt yawned.

"Sleep, beautiful."

"Sweet dreams," Kurt slurred, and then laughed, "because of the cake, geddit?"

He turned on his side, his head on Blaine's chest, and was out like a light.

Blaine kissed the crown of his head. For a few minutes, he basked in the feeling of having Kurt with him again. Then, he started going over his date options. Their first date had to be perfect.

K&B

Of course, mandating that the date had to be perfect jinxed it. From the moment Blaine woke, he knew he'd have to adjust his plans. He'd counted on cold but dry weather, not the rain and cold wind that assaulted him as soon as he opened the window in the kitchen. That meant the walk through Central Park was out. Bummer.

Blaine busied himself making Kurt a delicious breakfast, making sure it would be ready by the time Kurt's alarm clock went off, but Kurt didn't even spare the breakfast tray a passing glance when he rushed past Blaine mumbling, "Dogs to walk. Back in half an hour!"

Blaine looked down at the tray he was holding and sighed. By the time Kurt got back, the eggs would be a congealed mess, the toast would be unappetizing, the fruit salad would no longer look fresh but brown at the edges, and the mocha would be ice-cold.

 _Oh, all right then._

Blaine sat down at the kitchen table and ate the breakfast intended for Kurt, grimacing when he drank the mocha, which was much too sweet for his taste. After that, he showered and dressed, and then made a new breakfast tray, timing it so that it was ready just when Kurt was due back.

Kurt and the poodles returned in the best of spirits, despite the weather, and now Kurt did notice the tray. "You made me breakfast? Oh, you're the BEST! I'm starving! I forgot to make myself sandwiches yesterday."

Kurt kissed Blaine square on the mouth before sitting down and wolfing the whole meal down in five minutes flat.

Then, he looked up at Blaine expectantly. "So what are your plans for today?"

"Still raining?" Blaine asked, and Kurt nodded.

"I guess a romantic walk in the park is out, then," Blaine mused, and Kurt laughed as if Blaine had made an excellent joke.

Blaine praised himself lucky that he'd asked Ashton if there were any good exhibitions in the NYC museums. At least he had that to fall back on.

He looked up, meaning to tell Kurt they were going to the Met, but Kurt had disappeared. His bowl and plate stood in the sink, already rinsed, and his voice floated out of the utility room, singing a French song.

Blaine distractedly petted one of the poodles while letting Kurt's singing wash over him, and then started on the dishes.

An hour later, Kurt and Blaine were on their way to the museum. Blaine had first stopped by his own apartment for Kurt's present of the day. He'd had an umbrella made with the same puppy pattern as the book bag, and Kurt could really use that in this weather.

Kurt exclaimed over the umbrella, calling it über-cute. Outside, he opened it and offered Blaine his arm.

Blaine had never shared an umbrella with anyone before, and found it cosy and intimate. The wind still howled, and the rain still beat down on them, but the umbrella was sturdy enough to provide shelter, and the heat from Kurt's body was a welcome solace against the biting cold.

When they reached the Met, the queue at the entrance made Blaine's heart sink. He knew that Monet always drew a crowd, but this was simply ridiculous. They'd be queuing for hours, and in this inclement weather, standing still for so long wasn't an appealing prospect.

He ran through Ashton's other suggestions, and flagged down a cab to take them to the Museum of Natural History instead. The exhibit there was about newly discovered deep sea creatures, and when a group of boy scouts came by with a guide, Kurt's eyes shone and he followed them, soaking up every bit of information the guide doled out.

Kurt was keen to discover the rest of the museum too, and in the end, he only let himself be led out of the museum when his stomach started growling.

"We can always come back another day," Blaine promised him.

Blaine looked at the overcast sky and chose a nearby sushi restaurant for lunch. It still wasn't close enough for them to escape a sudden rain squall that drenched them in seconds, and they ran the last few yards, Kurt squealing and trying to protect his hair when the wind blew his hood off.

They stumbled into _Gari of Columbus_ with dripping coats and squeaking shoes, laughing and shivering a little. In the restaurant, it was toasty warm, though, and Kurt slipped into the restroom to try and fix his hair.

"Ugh," Kurt said when he came back. "I can't get it into a decent coif. You'll have to make do with the hairstyle I had when I was a sophomore in high school. Floppy bangs and all."

Blaine smiled at him and cupped his cheek to give him a kiss. "You do look younger this way. But just as beautiful."

After lunch, Kurt had to head back to the place he was staying to pick up the poodles for their midday walk, and then a few other dogs as well. Blaine grinned when Snowball and Summer greeted him enthusiastically. It was still raining, but Blaine hardly felt it as he ran with the dogs. Kurt flashed him a happy grin and upped his pace a notch.

After their run, Kurt was shivering again. Blaine hunted for a blanket in the apartment and wrapped Kurt in it, installing him on the sofa and hurrying to the kitchen to make them both tea. When he came back into the living room, Kurt was watching Casablanca, and stretched his arms out towards Blaine. Blaine offered him a cup of tea, and chuckled when that made Kurt pout. "So impatient, beautiful."

Blaine kissed Kurt's pout away and sat down next to him, encircling Kurt's waist and sipping his own tea.

"So where is The Sweetest Thing bakery?" Kurt asked. "We have to make sure we're on time today."

Blaine beamed at him. "It's not far, beautiful. Four blocks or so. So you can drink your tea and watch Humphrey and cuddle me and get warm again. Plenty of time for that."

Kurt's answering smile was wide and toothy, and he wiggled a bit closer still. "That sounds perfect."

They arrived at The Sweetest Thing bakery twenty minutes early, and Kurt used the extra time to inspect the shop window. "I see what you meant about the best designs. These cakes are gorgeous. If they're yummy, too, I'm sold."

A gust of wind made them both head inside the shop, and they told the sales assistant that they had an appointment with Mrs Peters.

"Anderson-Hummel?" she asked.

"That's us," Blaine confirmed, and he felt Kurt squeeze his hand.

"What is it, beautiful?" he whispered, and Kurt blushed and whispered back, "I like that there's an 'us' now."

The girl behind the counter cooed. "Aww, you're too adorable. Have you been together long?"

"Nearly a year and a half," Kurt lied glibly.

"And you're already engaged? Wow, I've been seeing my man for five years and not a peep about marriage!"

Blaine gave her his most disarming smile. "When you know, you just know."

A voice behind him made a retching noise, and then hissed, "You disgusting fags, why don't you get out of here before I break your neck!"

Blaine whipped his head around and saw a burly middle-aged guy, red-faced and looking furious.

Before he could say or do anything, Kurt retorted, "Why don't you go back to the Middle Ages, where you belong? Last I checked, gay marriage was legal. We have as much right to buy our wedding cake here as you do."

The guy came closer, his hands reaching for Kurt's neck. Blaine quickly got in front of Kurt and took on a fighting stance.

"Cut this out RIGHT NOW," a woman commanded.

Blaine recognised Mrs Peters' voice, but didn't take his eyes off the angry guy.

"Mr Miller, if you have a problem with my clientele, I suggest you go elsewhere. I'm not having this kind of scene in my shop."

Mr Miller looked at Mrs Peters, affronted. He'd clearly expected her to side with him. "Oh, fine. Your cakes suck anyway."

He strode out of the shop and banged the door with all his might.

"Good riddance," said Mrs Peters. "Now if you two would follow me, please. Anderson-Hummel, right?"

"That's us, ma'am," Blaine said. He grabbed Kurt's hand, and together, they followed Mrs Peters.

Soon after, Kurt was deep in discussion with Mrs Peters about the design he wanted on the wedding cake. He drew several versions on a napkin, and promised to send the baker a digital version of the design by the next day at the latest.

Then, it was time to taste-test the different cake flavours. Kurt took small nibbles and closed his eyes every time a new taste hit him, his brow furrowed in concentration. It made Blaine smile.

Kurt pronounced the chocolate delicious but too heavy, shook his head after tasting the red velvet and vanilla options, made a so-so gesture about the carrot cake, wrinkled his nose at the pink champagne cake, but lit up when he tasted the coconut and lime combo.

"This is it," he whispered, "This is the perfect cake."

Blaine nodded. "Okay."

Kurt took another small bite and moaned. "No, seriously, it doesn't get any better than this. So good."

Mrs Peters laughed. "That's settled, then. So I'll write down coconut and lime for the cake, and your own design for the decoration. Do you have my e-mail address to send the file?"

Blaine assured her they had the address.

"And what's the wedding date?" she wanted to know next.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other.

"We haven't decided on the venue yet," said Blaine. "It depends which one we'll go with. If we pick the Bowery Ballroom, it will be the 7th of June. If it's at the NY Public Library, it will be on the 14th of July. And the date for the Loeb boathouse is 9 September."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "I thought we'd decided against the Loeb boathouse? It's going to be either Bowery or the Library, Mrs Peters. We'll let you know as soon as possible. We're visiting both places again next week, and then we'll decide."

Mrs Peters made Blaine repeat both dates and jotted them down with a question mark behind them.

As they filed out of the back room, Mrs Peters put a hand on Blaine's arm.

"Hey…" she said. "Don't mind that guy, please. Don't you worry your pretty head about him. Your fiancé is right. Love is love, and it doesn't matter to me that you're two men. It shouldn't matter to anyone. It's nobody's business but your own."

Blaine swallowed and tried to smile, but it probably came out more like a grimace. "I'll go pay the deposit at the counter, then."

Nothing like striking while the iron was hot, so Blaine called both wedding venues to ask if he could come by again, this time with his fiancé. For the Bowery Ballroom, he made an appointment for Monday evening. There was no appointment needed for the New York Public Library. "We're open until 5.45 today, sir."

That gave them a little over an hour to go discover the place, so they took a cab there. As soon as Kurt entered the building, he seemed to be vibrating with excitement, and that enthusiasm increased with every detail he pointed out to Blaine, in reverent whispers. They stayed until the library closed, and as they went down the steps, Kurt told Blaine, "This is the right place for us. I can feel it in my bones. We can go check out the Bowery, too, but I don't think I'll change my mind. I see us getting married here."

They picked up Thai take-away on their way back to the place where Kurt was staying. After eating, they took out the dogs for their evening walk, and then curled up on the sofa again until it was time for bed.

When Kurt laid his head on Blaine's chest, Blaine blurted out, "I'm sorry our first date was such a mess. I wanted it to be perfect, but it all went wrong."

Kurt raised his head. "Blaine, what are you talking about? There's nothing about today that I would have changed. To me, it was perfect. A wonderful first date. I couldn't dream up a better one if I tried."

"B-but the weather…"

"I loved that it rained. That meant I got to share an umbrella with you. That was so romantic. I'd never done that before."

"Me neither," Blaine confessed.

Kurt beamed. "I like sharing firsts with you. I want us to share a lot of firsts. I couldn't give you my first kiss 'cause that one got stolen, but the rest of my firsts are all yours."

Blaine smiled tremulously and pecked Kurt lightly on the lips, but then went back to his grievances about the day. "And I meant for us to go to the Met, but the queue was too long."

"Aww, Blaine. The Natural History Museum was a much better choice. I loved it there!"

"And your hair got wet!"

"Yep. Yours too, and you looked so sexy with wet curls. I wanted to grab you right there and then and make out with you."

"And then at the bakery, that guy nearly throttled you!"

"And you defended me, you brave knight in shining Armani."

Kurt batted his eyelashes at Blaine and pouted his lips.

Blaine laughed and kissed Kurt.

When Kurt came up for air, he breathed, "Perfect. I'm telling you, perfect."


	20. Chapter 19: Perfect With You

Author's Note:

So, uhm, if you need a warning for sexy stuff? Consider yourself warned. This is where the mature rating kicks in. Ahem. *Scuttles away to hide in a corner*

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

Chapter 19: Perfect With You

Once the spell was broken and they were finally officially together, Kurt found out that the charm, affection and little attentions Blaine had shown him before were nothing to the love Blaine showered him with now.

The day of their first date was magical from the moment Kurt woke up, to delicious smells from the kitchen and Blaine's incandescent smile the moment he saw Kurt. Kurt may have curtailed the poodles' usual morning walk because the lure of a cooked breakfast was too strong to resist. When he got home, he practically inhaled the food Blaine set in front of him – so good!

Because it was raining, Blaine gave him an umbrella as a present, and Kurt beamed as he opened it and offered Blaine his arm. For a moment, he felt like they were in a 1950s musical. He imagined the both of them tap-dancing down the street and had to tamp down his laughter.

Blaine took them to a gigantic museum where there was an exhibit about sea animals. The hall it was in was gorgeous. Kurt couldn't stop staring everywhere – there was something so soothing about this ocean atmosphere.

They didn't have to go far for lunch, yet they still got drenched before they reached the restaurant. Kurt's hair was a wet, flat mess. He tried to get it back into shape using his emergency comb and the hair dryer in the restroom, but it stubbornly kept flopping down into his eyes. Ugh.

Kurt shrugged at his reflection and went back to the booth he shared with Blaine. Blaine had seen him in all sorts of sorry states – in clothes with grass and mud stains from his dog walks, in ratty sleep T-shirts, with a bedhead, sweaty in his workout gear – and he still hadn't run for the hills, had he? So Kurt didn't need to impress him at all, he could just be his floppy-banged self.

After another dog walk, Blaine bundled Kurt up in a blanket and they cuddled on the sofa, drinking tea and watching Casablanca. Once the tea cups were on the coffee table, Kurt tugged Blaine on top of him and threw the blanket over them both. They traded lazy kisses, and Kurt ran his hands over Blaine's back, slowly, grinning when that elicited a pleased hum and a flutter of Blaine's lashes.

Later that afternoon, they went to The Sweetest Thing bakery. Kurt guessed they both qualified as crazy for starting to plan their wedding while on their first date, but he really couldn't care less. After all, they'd been living together for over a year, hadn't they? They'd shared a bed and everything. They knew they suited each other well. So far, the only thing they hadn't done together was have sex. And wow, that thought made his stomach swoop.

Mrs Peters was friendly and accommodating. She wasn't fazed at all when Kurt started detailing exactly what he wanted on his wedding cake and started sketching it out on the napkins meant for the taste-testing. She nodded and smiled and made suggestions to enhance the design. When at long last, Kurt was happy with his final sketch, he looked up and saw that the table was a mess of discarded scribbled-on napkins, and he hurried to apologise.

Mrs Peters waved that off with a laugh. "It's good to see someone who's this passionate about their cake. Most of the time, if I want to know what design the couples want, I have to show them tons of pictures and they take ages to make up their mind. You know exactly what you're going for. I like that."

Then, they tried out the different kinds of cake the bakery had on offer, and Kurt started to fidget a little when he was on his fifth piece of cake and still hadn't tasted anything he liked. When the next cake hit his taste-buds, though, he beamed. Now THAT was more like it, and he was quick to say so.

Blaine had no objection, so that was their wedding cake sorted out. Kurt looked at the sweet Mrs Peters and wondered whether she'd be smiling like that if she knew they'd only been together for a day and weren't engaged at all.

 _I bet she wouldn't… I really should talk to Blaine about this situation. It's ridiculous. But then why does it feel so right?_

Mrs Peters filled in the order form, and asked for the wedding date.

 _Oops, busted!_

But Blaine just told the baker that they hadn't decided on the venue yet, and summed up the dates for the top three. Mrs Peters didn't so much as blink when Kurt and Blaine started discussing the venues, and just asked them to repeat the dates so she could write them down.

 _Huh. I guess we're not the first indecisive couple she's dealt with._

Before they left, Blaine paid half of the price of the wedding cake, and Kurt went pale when he heard the amount.

"The remainder will have to be paid three weeks before the wedding date," the sales assistant told Blaine, who nodded and smiled at her with a "We'll be back!"

 _Wow. I guess we're really doing this, then._

Part of Kurt was excited and thrilled. Another part just wanted to laugh hysterically.

Blaine didn't seem to think this was at all odd, though. As soon as they stepped out of the bakery, he was already on the phone calling their top two venues for an appointment, and five minutes later, they were whizzing to the New York Public Library in a cab.

Whatever qualms Kurt had all flew out of his head the moment he climbed the steps to the library and went in.

What a place! He loved EVERYTHING about it. The ceilings, the lighting, the staircases, the atmosphere. It was all phenomenal. More importantly, it felt right for them. Kurt could totally picture Blaine standing there at the front in a gorgeous black tux, and looking at Kurt like he'd hung the moon and the stars in the sky. He could picture his friends and family sitting here, and he even knew what decorations he wanted. Yes, if they really did get married, this was the place where it would happen.

Blaine smiled at Kurt when he voiced his thoughts, and without any more ado, he went to the front desk to book the venue for the fourteenth of July.

Kurt had the feeling that whatever he'd want for their wedding, he would only have to snap his fingers and Blaine would make it happen, like a genie from a lamp. Only, it had to be Blaine's dream wedding, too, so he told Blaine he'd be quite happy to check out the Bowery Ballroom too. Kurt had lost his heart to the Library, but if Blaine preferred Bowery, well, marriage was about compromise, wasn't it?

Blaine chuckled at the way Kurt stumbled over his sentences in his eagerness to prove to Blaine that this didn't have to be all Kurt's choice, and just shook his head. "I'll cancel the appointment at the Bowery Ballroom, beautiful. It's not a problem at all. I love the Library too."

Even though they'd eaten a lot of cake, the both of them were hungry again, and they decided on Thai takeout before the poodles' evening walk. This time, Kurt insisted on paying, telling Blaine he'd spent quite enough money for one day.

When they went to bed, Blaine apologised, apparently under the impression that their first date had been a disappointment for Kurt.

Kurt was quick to set him right, with words and with kisses. This time, he was on top of Blaine, and he took advantage of his position to nibble at Blaine's neck and suck a hickey on his collar bone. That made Blaine gasp and writhe and buck up as if he couldn't help himself, and Kurt moaned when that caused delicious friction.

The next thing Kurt knew, Blaine had grabbed his butt, and they were rutting together as people possessed.

It took him only minutes to come so hard he saw stars. He kept moving until Blaine froze, gripped Kurt's ass more tightly still and moaned high and long.

Then Kurt flopped off Blaine's chest and turned on his side facing Blaine.

Kurt smiled and gave Blaine a bunny kiss. "Hey."

Blaine's answering smile was a bit loopy. "Hey."

"That was not how I'd expected my first time to go," Kurt giggled, and wrinkled his nose. "Coming in my pants like I'm fifteen again. Gross."

Blaine's smile fell off his face in an instant, and Kurt could see a new apology coming.

"But it was perfect," Kurt stressed, before Blaine could speak. "It was perfect, because I got to share this with you."

He cupped Blaine's face and kissed him again.

"Next time, we'll just have to remember to lose the clothes before we have sex, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Okay."

Kurt yawned. "Quick clean-up? I'll bring you another pair of boxers."

Kurt slipped out of bed to fetch a wash cloth, new pyjama pants for himself and boxers for Blaine.

"Hips up," he commanded when he came back, and he stripped Blaine quickly of the soiled boxers and cleaned him up. That made Blaine's dick twitch.

"Ready for another go?" Kurt laughed. "Maybe we've really become teenagers again!"

Kurt gave Blaine's dick a few experimental tugs, and smirked when that made it swell up.

"You too," Blaine commanded. "Pants off."

Kurt kicked off his pants and tried not to feel self-conscious as Blaine's eyes roved over him.

"Gorgeous," Blaine breathed. "You're so gorgeous."

Kurt felt his face heat up, and looked away, but Blaine hooked a finger under his chin and turned his head to face Blaine again. "Don't go shy on me, beautiful. You're gorgeous, every inch of you."

Blaine's eyes shifted down, and he asked, "Can I…?"

Now Kurt's cock twitched too, and they both laughed. Kurt quickly grabbed his lube from the nightstand and squirted some onto his own hand and then on Blaine's.

"Go ahead," he said. "Together?"

As soon as Kurt felt Blaine wrap his hand around him, he knew this wouldn't last long at all. It just felt too good. He tightened his hold on Blaine's dick, and heard him whimper and moan. He chanced a glance at Blaine's face, and felt a wave of affection go through him when he saw Blaine's blissed-out expression. His eyes were closed, his lashes nestled against his cheeks and fluttering the tiniest bit, and he was smiling slightly.

Kurt let his eyes wander. He'd seen Blaine naked before, of course, but back then, he'd made an effort to look away and not stare. Now, he did stare. He lingered on Blaine's strong shoulders and arms, his tiny waist, the little belly that was somehow more attractive than a six-pack would have been, his powerful thighs and pretty ankles. But most of all, he focused on the dick his hand was working over – rock hard under the velvety soft skin, with a glistening wet top that produced more and more precome the longer Kurt slid his fist up and down over it.

Meanwhile, Kurt was teetering on the brink himself with every move Blaine's hand made, and little moans escaped him every time the upper fingers passed the rim of his cock head and sent a sensation through him that was nothing short of electric. It made him increase his own pace, until his fist was a blur over Blaine's dick and Blaine's stomach tensed up. And then Blaine's hand made a twisting move, and Kurt was coming, coming, coming.

When the waves of pleasure ebbed, he realised he was gripping Blaine's dick way too hard. He loosened his hold a little, and felt warm wetness dribbling over his fist.

"That was amazing," Blaine sighed.

Kurt looked at him. "You… You came too?"

Blaine giggled. "Just after you did. You look so hot when you come. I just…"

"Next time, we're taking turns," Kurt declared. "I want to see you fall apart, too."

Blaine grinned at him. "Okay."

"But that will be for tomorrow. I'm so – YAWN – tiiiired!"

They went to the bathroom to wash their hands, and Kurt wet another washcloth to wipe their dicks and bellies clean.

Kurt yawned again, his jaw cracking, and Blaine steered him back to bed and took him in his arms. "Sleep, beautiful."

"Sweet dreams, honey."

K&B

Kurt slept like a rock after that, right through his alarm, and when he finally woke up, he found that Blaine had already taken the dogs on their morning walk and was now sitting at the foot of the bed, fully dressed.

Blaine smiled at Kurt and held out a mug of coffee.

Kurt sipped from it, and then drank more deeply, his brain becoming more alert the more caffeine hit his blood stream.

"Why didn't you just wake me up?" Kurt asked, blinking and squinting at the too bright sunlight.

"You were sleeping so peacefully. Like an angel, beautiful. I couldn't bear disturbing you."

Kurt scoffed, and then his eyes widened and he grabbed Blaine's arm. "Oh! You didn't forget about Snowball and Summer and Titus, did you?"

Blaine grinned and shook his head. "All taken care of."

Kurt sighed in relief. "Good. Good. Wow I… I haven't slept this late in years. Even in Ohio, I get up at seven thirty. Eight a.m., tops. We need to get into bed earlier."

Blaine grinned. "Sure, beautiful."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "To sleep, I mean!"

"Whatever you say, beautiful."

Now Blaine was full-out smirking, and not so subtly staring at Kurt's cock, which was, yes, hard again. Hello, morning wood.

Kurt drained his coffee mug and ran to the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. When he came back, he hugged Blaine from behind, hooked a finger under Blaine's bow tie and tugged, whispering into Blaine's ear, "Somebody's wearing way too many clothes."

Blaine's breath hitched for a moment. Then, he turned around in Kurt's arms, his lashes low and his voice dark caramel. "Maybe this is your next gift, waiting for you to unwrap it. There's a bow and everything."

"Mmm, yes, there is," Kurt purred, and he deftly undid the knot. He made quite a production of undressing Blaine, running his hands all over his chest and back and making sure to rub over his nipples until they stood at attention. When Blaine was naked from the waist up, Kurt kneeled to pay just as much attention to Blaine's legs while opening his belt and unbuttoning his pants, teasing him by rubbing over his inner thighs with his thumbs until Blaine started breathing faster and then groaned, "Kuuuuuurt!"

"What is it, honey? I'm just being careful with the package."

Blaine snorted. "The package is about to explode, so you'd better hurry up and get me naked or I'm going to come in my pants again."

Kurt conceded the point and took Blaine's pants and boxers off without any more teasing.

"Lie down," he commanded, and Blaine obediently flopped down on the bed, grinning up at Kurt.

"Can I… Can I use my mouth on you?" Kurt asked, and watched Blaine's eyes widen and darken.

"Yes. Of course."

Blaine was nodding like a bobble-head now, and Kurt giggled as he took Blaine's dick in his hand and then bowed down to fit his mouth over it.

Blaine let out a strangled sound that made Kurt slide his mouth off his cock and look up again. "Yeah, I know I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to do. Just… Tell me what feels good and what doesn't, okay? Tell me."

"No, no… That… You… It was just… Guh… That felt so good!"

"Ah. Okay. So much the better. Still. Tell me. Here I go again."

And once more, Kurt sank his mouth over Blaine's dick.

Blaine started babbling, his voice higher than its usual pitch. "Oh, yes. Oh, God. Oh, wow. Beautiful, your mouth. So good. I don't…. This is… not gonna last. Like… not at all. Oh, do that again! Please? With your tongue? Ah! Yes! Ahh! That feels… Oh my God. Kurt. Kurt! Kuuuuuuurt!"

And with that, spurts of come filled Kurt's mouth. So much of it that he couldn't swallow it all and some dripped down his chin.

Before he could get self-conscious about that, though, Blaine had cupped his face in both hands and was licking it off and then kissing Kurt, wild, dirty kisses that made his pulse race and left him a little light-headed.

"Your turn now," Blaine announced, and pushed Kurt onto the bed. As his mouth slid over Kurt's cock, Kurt had only one thought. _Best Sunday morning EVER._


	21. Chapter 20: A Family

**Author's Note:**

 **This is little bit of smut, and a whole lot of schmoop! Complete with tiny puppies :-) Enjoy!**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)**

Chapter 20: A Family

When Blaine woke up that Sunday, he spent his first waking moments grinning at the ceiling, reliving the highlights of the day before.

He'd never really gotten the whole 'big deal' about sex. During puberty, he'd of course woken up regularly with jizz in his pyjama pants, but he'd never felt the urge to fantasize, or watch porn. When he jacked off, he did so quickly and efficiently, without thinking of anyone in particular.

And then Kurt had come along, and Blaine had started having those dreams. Waking up hard and rubbing against Kurt. And yes, thinking of Kurt whenever he masturbated, however guilty he felt about that.

Suddenly, he found himself wondering what it would feel like, having sex. When he pictured it, he saw himself with Kurt. It made his dick harden instantly, and provided better and longer orgasms than he'd ever had before.

The fantasies were nothing compared to the real thing, though. Wow. Kurt was as new to this as Blaine was, but you'd never be able to tell. Kurt's every touch set Blaine's body aflame, and the sounds he made turned Blaine on no end – so sexy!

Blaine let out a happy sigh and slipped out of bed without disturbing Kurt. It was half past five in the morning, but Blaine was wide awake already, as usual. He knew Kurt would be getting up soon, too, to walk his doggy clients. He glanced at his love, hidden under the comforter. A tuft of tousled hair was the only thing visible, and all he could hear was a rhythmic snuffling that proved Kurt was still deeply asleep.

 _I should let him sleep. We stayed up too late yesterday._

So Blaine took Kurt's phone with him to the kitchen, and silenced the alarm as soon as it went off.

Blaine dressed quickly, looked for Kurt's keys and plastic bags for the clean-up, and put leashes on the poodles, who didn't seem to care at all who took them for a walk as long as they got one.

He led the poodles help him remember where to go to pick up Snowball, Summer and Titus, and then headed to the park with the lot of them.

When he came back with the poodles, he gave them food and water, and then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for himself and Kurt.

There wasn't anything left in the fruit bowl, and there wasn't much in the pantry or in the fridge, either, but he found all the ingredients for a cheesy Sunday loaf, so he made the dough, kneaded it and left it to rise.

He went to check on Kurt, who was still dead to the world, and decided to walk to his own apartment to go fetch some more groceries to tide them over until Monday. Plus his laptop for all the essays he still had to grade. Thanks to Kurt, he hadn't lost another week to being a dog, but that didn't mean he could slack off the whole weekend.

The loaf was nearly done, spreading a delicious smell of melted cheese through the apartment, when Blaine finally heard Kurt stirring.

Blaine filled a mug with coffee and took it to the bedroom.

Kurt was no longer buried under the covers. Now, his entire face was visible, and he was turning this way and then the other.

 _Not long now until he wakes up…_

And yes, a few minutes later, Kurt's eyes blinked open, and Blaine fell a bit deeper in love still as he looked at his adorable sleep-rumpled angel.

Kurt yawned and stretched, looking so much like a kitten waking up from a nap that it made Blaine smile.

Blaine hastened to offer Kurt coffee, knowing that Kurt wouldn't be up for conversation until he'd had his daily dose of caffeine.

And yes, as Kurt drank, his half-mast eyes opened fully, and he started questioning Blaine.

Blaine didn't pay much attention to what Kurt was saying, though, because he found himself distracted. The comforter had slipped off Kurt when he sat up, and now he was sitting there drinking coffee in all his naked glory. No wonder Blaine's throat went dry and he couldn't stop staring. Unf.

All too soon, the mug was empty, and Kurt escaped to the bathroom. Blaine took the mug back to the kitchen and checked on the bread. He decided to switch the oven off but leave the loaf in it, and then headed to the bedroom again to air it while they had breakfast.

Before he could open the window, though, he felt Kurt hugging him from behind, his breath hot in Blaine's ear when he told Blaine off for wearing too many clothes. Well, that was easy to remedy…

Blaine was about to strip when he had an idea. He'd let Kurt take his clothes off. Yes.

Five minutes later, he was so on edge that he rued the thought of giving Kurt the reins. Clearly, his love had a mean streak, to tease him so.

But then Kurt took him in his mouth, and Blaine lost any train of thought and just surrendered to hot wet bliss the likes of which he'd never experienced before. He tipped over the edge embarrassingly fast, but felt so amazing that he didn't even care. All he thought of was of kissing Kurt, and then paying him back in kind.

Kurt made the most amazing sounds while Blaine worked him over with his hand and his mouth. His back bowed off the bed, and he threw his head back, keening. Blaine couldn't keep his eyes of Kurt, and felt himself growing hard again. He hollowed his cheeks and took Kurt's dick a bit deeper, still, and Kurt choked out his name and came all over Blaine's tongue.

They lay on the bed facing each other and grinning, and Kurt noticed Blaine's half-hard dick and took it loosely in his fist, which only made it grow, of course.

"You're insatiable!" Kurt giggled.

Blaine kissed his nose. "Only for you, beautiful."

Kurt's stomach growled, and they both laughed.

"Hold that thought," said Kurt. "I don't know about you, but I've worked up quite an appetite."

Kurt tore into the pull-apart bread with relish, and told Blaine he'd never eaten anything so delicious.

Blaine laughed at that. "That's your hunger speaking. But I'm glad you like it, beautiful."

After their late breakfast, Kurt tugged them to the sofa, and Blaine followed him eagerly, thinking they'd continue where they'd left off, but when he cupped Kurt's face to kiss him, Kurt took his hands and shook his head.

"No, sweetie. As much as I love kissing you, I know where that's going to lead us, and I really think we need to talk."

Blaine's good mood evaporated in a fraction of a second, and only left dread in its wake.

"You're… You're breaking up with me?" he asked, his voice faltering.

Kurt squeezed his hands. "What? No! No, not at all. Why would you think that? No! I just feel like we need to discuss where we stand. As a couple. And what we have in mind. For the future. We need to be on the same page."

Blaine sat up straight and gave Kurt his full attention. "Okay."

"So… What are we?" Kurt wanted to know. "Are we boyfriends?"

Blaine nodded and beamed. "Yes."

Kurt smiled back at him. "I'm just asking because somehow, we're full-on planning a wedding already. So you still mean to propose to me one of these days? We're not going to pretend that it happened already and skip that stage?"

Blaine shook his head. "No! No. I… I have plans."

"Good," said Kurt. "Don't make it a big production, please. Don't break out in song in a restaurant or at school or something. I wouldn't like that at all. And you could lose your job over it if you did it at school. So… keep it a private moment. Just for us. Okay?"

"Okay," Blaine promised. That fit his plans perfectly anyway.

"The next thing is, where are we going to live?"

Blaine frowned. "I thought…"

"You thought I'd move in with you permanently?"

Blaine shrugged. "Well… Yes."

"Hmm."

"What's wrong with my apartment?" Blaine asked, puzzled.

"It's not your apartment that's the problem here," Kurt explained. "It's that I'd feel like a kept man. I don't want you to be my sugar daddy. I want us to be equals in this relationship."

Blaine wanted to protest that they were equals, but stopped to think. Yes, Kurt was right.

"Do you want us to look for another place together?" Blaine offered.

Kurt beamed at him. "Yes, please. Though we can wait until I've found a job, after graduating, and have saved up some money."

"Oh, R/GA will want to keep you," Blaine prophesized. "You'll see."

Kurt grinned. "I hope so. I love working there. Okay, next thing we need to discuss: pets and children. Do you want any? And when?"

Blaine exhaled slowly. Wow. Kurt didn't pull his punches, did he? He brought up the big questions all at once. "Uhm…"

Kurt laughed. "You weren't expecting me to bring that to the table just yet? But I need to know, sweetie! I can't marry you without knowing we think alike on those matters. They're way too important."

"True."

"I'll go first," Kurt offered. "I'd like to have children one day, but not yet. Not for another ten years or so. I would like to have a dog, though. I've spent years walking dogs belonging to other people, and as much as I've enjoyed that, I want one of my own. One that I don't have to bring back after every walk, or say goodbye to when my dog-sitting assignment is over. I want one for keeps."

Blaine beamed at him. "Same."

"Any preference?" Kurt asked.

"Mmm…"

"Okay, that's not so important right now. We can discuss it later. Now… Who do you want to invite to the wedding? I'm graduating in May, so I guess it won't matter much if you invite your colleagues. Or do you think it could still get you into trouble?"

Blaine shrugged. "The only colleague I want to invite is Paula, and she knows about us. Always has."

Kurt nodded. "Right. I'd like to invite Maizie and Neil and Elliott. They're all graduating this year, too, so I don't think me inviting them will cause any problems. And then there's Rachel, who used to be my roommate. And Mercedes, my best friend from high school."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," Blaine said.

Kurt took a deep breath. "And I want Trent as my best man. Please. I know he's your best friend, but he's been my rock the past year. Seriously. I don't know what I would have done without him and his pep talks."

Blaine opened and closed his mouth a few times without any sound coming out.

"Please," Kurt repeated.

Blaine bit his lip. "Well, I could ask my brother, I guess. Though he's obnoxious. No. No, I'd better go with Ashton. It's bad enough that Cooper will come to the wedding and make it all about him again."

"What?" Kurt laughed. "He wouldn't!"

"Oh, trust me, he would. It's Cooper."

It came out rather bitter, and Blaine looked away, trying to keep his feelings under control.

"Is that why your brother was never there for the holidays?" Kurt asked. "You don't get along?"

Blaine hesitated. "It was mainly the dog curse. But we don't get along very well, no."

When the list of invitees was drawn up, Kurt wanted to know if he could design the invitations.

Blaine smiled. "Sure you can. Knock yourself out!"

That was enough encouragement for Kurt to whip out his sketchbook and start drawing, humming happily.

Blaine took advantage of Kurt's abstraction to make a few phone calls for his afternoon plans, and then marked essays until it was time to walk the dogs again.

"Beautiful?" Blaine asked, when they'd returned all the dogs to their homes. "Can I take you somewhere?"

Kurt, who was crouching between the two drinking poodles and petting them both, looked around with a sweet smile. "Sure, honey. They're all set now."

Once outside, Kurt hooked his arm through Blaine's. "So where are we going?"

Blaine grinned and tapped Kurt's nose. "Not telling just yet. You'll see when we get there."

Kurt pouted for six blocks, but when he saw they were heading to the Manhattan Animal Care Center, his face lit up. "You want to go pick out a dog?"

Blaine smiled at him. "They took in a pregnant dog a while ago, and now there's a nest of puppies. They're not old enough to be adopted yet, but they'll be looking for a forever home around the time your dog-sitting assignment ends. So I thought we might get acquainted with the puppies, and maybe choose one to adopt."

"Oh my God, yes!"

Kurt skipped up the steps so fast Blaine had to run to catch up with him, and a few minutes later, they were cooing at a proud mama and her four adorable tiny fur-balls. Three of them were dark brown, but the fourth was lighter in colour, with patches and spots. And when it blinked its eyes open as Kurt petted it, they were blue.

"That's the only girl," said Eileen, the volunteer who'd accompanied them. "She's just the sweetest thing."

"She is!" Kurt agreed, and then he whispered to the pup, "Yes, you are, aren't you? Such a sweet little darling."

"She has your eyes," Blaine pointed out, and Kurt laughed, startling all the pups, who whimpered and squirmed.

"Oh, shhh, sorry, babies," Kurt comforted them, stroking their backs until they were calm again.

When they left, Kurt told Eileen they'd definitely adopt the girl pup, and maybe one of the boys, too.

She smiled at him. "I'm so glad they'll have a good home. I can tell that you're a natural at handling dogs. You'll have to wait another four weeks, though. We're not putting them up for adoption until they're eight weeks old."

Kurt nodded. "I know. In the meantime, can we come back and visit them?"

"Of course you can!"

On the way back home, Kurt had the hugest smile on his face.

"They're adorable, aren't they?" Blaine asked.

"They are," Kurt agreed. "But it's more, like, we're gonna be a family. It's… yeah. It's a really good feeling."

Blaine pulled Kurt close and kissed his temple. "The best."

K&B

Blaine stayed at the poodles' apartment with Kurt the next weeks, and as often as they could, they went to visit their dog family at the animal shelter.

They went on dates, too, every weekend. Blaine took Kurt to Alice's Tea Cup, to the zoo, to the Met, to the ice-skating rink and to a restaurant with a breath-taking view of the Empire State Building. The one day that it stormed too much to go anywhere, they made cupcakes and decorated them. That ended with complete chaos in the kitchen, more icing on the two of them than on the cupcakes, and Kurt collapsing into a giggle fit when Blaine explored all his ticklish places.

Blaine loved how Kurt soaked up every new experience and turned it into inspiration for his designs, and he loved how Kurt noticed and appreciated all the little delights in life. Most of all, he just loved Kurt. It became even harder for him not to follow Kurt around like a puppy in class, and Paula kept telling him to tone down the heart eyes.

When the 14th of February arrived, Blaine once again silenced Kurt's alarm and walked the dogs in his place. He made Kurt a fruit salad and heart-shaped waffles with whipped cream and hot chocolate with a heart in the foam, and brought it to bed on a tray.

As it was a Friday, they both had class, but they agreed to meet up at the animal shelter in the evening.

Blaine went to the shelter earlier than agreed upon, accompanied by two guys from Stephanotis. Eileen winked at him and whispered, "It's all arranged. You can borrow Room 206 for your plans. Good luck!"

When Kurt arrived an hour later, the room was transformed into a place straight from a fairy tale. There were green boughs and flowers hanging from the ceiling, interspersed with fairy lights. The men had also built a tiny rock formation with a waterfall, and in the middle of the room was a wrought iron table with matching chairs, and on it two of Blaine's finest china plates, crystal goblets and silver cutlery. The food was in a picnic basket next to it.

Kurt's mouth fell open when he saw everything. Then he noticed Blaine, down on one knee and holding two of the puppies on his lap, wearing a pink and a blue bow respectively, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Blaine!"

It came out a little hoarse, and Blaine could see that Kurt was blinking away tears.

"Kurt. My wonderful, beautiful Kurt. I've known you for two years now, and every day I fall more and more in love with you. If you'll let me, I'd like to do so for the rest of my life. I promise to cherish you and believe in you and support you in everything that you do. I promise to listen to you and work with you as team and make you my number one priority. I want us to be a family. With children, one day, yes, but starting with these pups for now. What do you say?"

Kurt, now fully crying, nodded.

Blaine held out the girl pup to him, showing the ring that was tied to her bow. "Will you marry me, please?"

Kurt took the pup in his arms and let out a sound between a laugh and a sob. "Yeah. Yes."

Blaine beamed at him and pecked him on the lips, deftly undoing the bow and slipping the ring onto Kurt's finger.

After another quick kiss, Blaine asked, holding out the other pup, who had a key tied to his bow. "And will you move in with me until we find a place of our own?"

Kurt nodded again. "Yes. Yes, of course. Oh, Blaine! This is…"

Blaine carefully put the pups back into their basket, and then gathered Kurt into his arms to kiss him until he stopped crying.

"I'm… not sad!" Kurt clarified between kisses. "Just… overwhelmed. This is… so much."

"I know, beautiful," Blaine reassured him. "I know. I love you."

"I love you too."


	22. Chapter 21: The Wedding

Author's Note:

Well, this is it... The ending! Enjoy! I may add an epilogue if you'd like a glimpse into their lives years later. Let me know :-)

Chapter 21: The Wedding

After breakfast that Sunday, Kurt steered Blaine to the sofa for a much-needed conversation. It was all too easy to get lost in pleasure and just roll along with whatever Blaine had in mind, but Kurt knew that they needed to discuss their relationship and their future.

What Kurt hadn't counted on was the phrase "We need to talk" scaring Blaine, who had to be reassured they weren't breaking up.

 _Now where did you get that idea? I don't want to break up with you ever. I want you for keeps, honey._

Blaine told Kurt he was planning on proposing, and Kurt, remembering some of the more outlandish proposal ideas he'd read on the post-its in his scrapbook, warned Blaine not to go overboard, and to keep it private. As romantic as it seemed to be proposed to in a carriage in Central Park or at the top of the Empire State Building, Kurt didn't want an audience. He wanted the moment to be just about them.

Blaine agreed to that, and also to looking for a place together. Kurt was relieved. He knew Blaine owned his apartment, and he'd thought he'd want to stay there.

Blaine didn't put up any objections about waiting to have children, either, and went along with the plan to adopt a dog. So much so that later that afternoon, they found themselves at the local animal shelter, petting a mini dachshund and her four pups.

Kurt fell in love with them instantly, and had to tear himself away when it was time to go. Walking home, he pictured himself and Blaine each with a pup of their own on a leash. They'd be a family.

It filled Kurt's stomach with butterflies to realise how close he was now to all that he'd yearned for, and it made him smile like a loon.

Over the next few weeks, Kurt went back to the animal shelter whenever he could spare a moment, and each time, he came home more smitten, and happily anticipating taking two puppies home.

The weekends were filled with date after date. Blaine seemed to think that he needed to make up for all the missed opportunities by cramming in as much quality time with Kurt as he possibly could. Kurt happily went along with it, though he liked cuddling on the sofa watching reality TV just as much as all the outings Blaine came up with. He just enjoyed spending time with Blaine, period.

There was no denying Blaine had a good grasp on what Kurt liked, though.

For their second date, Blaine took him for brunch in a quaint tearoom with an Alice in Wonderland décor, a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Kurt soaked it all in greedily, and told Blaine about the tea parties he used to have on his lawn, with his dad and his stuffed animals. "Remind me to show you some pictures the next time we're in Lima."

Kurt laughed at Blaine's shifty eyes and scared expression at the mention of Burt. "I told my dad it was all a misunderstanding, and that we're together now. So he's not mad at you anymore. You can come home with me without fearing for your kneecaps."

That last comment made Blaine's eyes widen even further, and Kurt giggled some more.

After brunch, they visited the zoo, and Blaine showed Kurt the sights in Central Park. They sat down on the grass at the Gapstow Bridge for a while, enjoying the beauty of the scene before them.

"I feel like I'm in a storybook," Kurt said.

"Well, maybe you are," Blaine quipped. "And you're the hero of the story, breaking my curse."

"That would have been the ending already," Kurt pointed out. "So where are we now, in the epilogue? In the sequel?"

Blaine chuckled. "I guess."

"So there's more drama to come?"

Blaine sighed. "Nothing too major, I hope. But yes, every life has its ups and downs."

Kurt put his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Together, we can weather any storm, can't we?"

"We can."

The next day, they went to the Met. Blaine had bought tickets beforehand this time, so that they wouldn't have to queue. The exhibition was beautiful, but in his heart of hearts, Kurt preferred the Museum of Natural History.

The following weekend, Blaine took Kurt ice-skating, and laughed and cooed when Kurt proved to be an uncoordinated Bambi on the ice. After about an hour of flailing and falling, they called it quits and went for a luxurious high tea in a tearoom close to the rink, where Kurt moaned over the madeleines and financiers – "So good, Blaine!" – until Blaine slapped down a few bills and tugged a giggling Kurt out of the establishment and straight into a cab to get home asap.

Another week passed, and this time around, Blaine's weekend plans included a showing of a 1950s musical starring Gene Kelly and afterwards dinner at a restaurant with an amazing view.

"You spoil me," Kurt said to Blaine, taking out his phone to snap a picture of the artfully arranged amuse-bouches the waiter had set in front of him.

Blaine smiled. "I like spoiling the people I love."

Kurt felt himself beaming ear to ear. Maybe there would come a time when a love declaration from Blaine would not make his stomach flutter and his heart beat double-time and the corners of his mouth turn up, but he doubted it.

When Valentine's Day arrived, Blaine took the wooing up another notch. Kurt hadn't counted on them celebrating Valentine's, seeing as it was an ordinary Friday, scheduled chock-full from dawn till dusk. Blaine, however, had other ideas.

Kurt woke up that day to Blaine kissing him everywhere, a trail that led from his forehead all the way to his toes and left tingling awareness in its wake, but when Kurt wanted to grab Blaine and return the favour, he'd gone. He came back with a breakfast tray worthy of Instagram, but Kurt pouted at it and at Blaine. "You're such a tease!"

"We have no time, beautiful! We need to be at school in half an hour."

Kurt shot up from the bed. "What?! The dogs!"

"I walked them. Relax. They've had their walk, they have food and water. They're happy."

Kurt enjoyed the yummy breakfast Blaine had made him, and knew he'd have to think of something to surprise Blaine with, too. Between his two morning classes, he hurried to their favourite bakery and bought Blaine a brie and honey sandwich and two cronuts, which he then dropped off in Blaine's office with a sweet note, enlisting Professor Scher's help to unlock the door.

While he was walking the dogs during his lunch break, his phone chimed with a thank you, and he grinned, already looking forward to seeing Blaine at the animal shelter that evening.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for what he saw at the shelter, in the room Eileen showed him to. Somehow, Blaine had managed to turn the place into a piece of paradise. It was like walking straight into a forest – trees and flowers and running water. And in the middle, there was a table that seemed to come from the penguin scene in Mary Poppins. It was beautiful, and Kurt gaped at it all, gobsmacked.

Then he saw Blaine, looking at him with so much love it took his breath away. Blaine had two of the puppies on his lap, and he was… Oh my goodness, he was on one knee… Was this…? "Blaine!"

And yes, it was the proposal Kurt had been waiting for, and it was so moving and so unbelievably perfect that Kurt cried buckets, laughing wetly when one of the pups tried to cheer him up by licking away his tears, because aww, that felt familiar.

Before Kurt knew it, he had a ring on his finger and was clutching the Devon key he'd given back to Blaine in January. As it warmed up in his hand, he thought, _Mine_ , and it filled him with so much happiness that he just had to kiss Blaine, over, and over, and over.

Blaine had not only provided the perfect setting for the proposal, he'd brought food, too: some of Kurt's favourite dishes.

"I'm sorry it's all cold," Blaine apologised. "It's not really picnic season, I know, but I didn't know how to keep food warm here, so I chose cold dishes."

Kurt, his mouth already full, swallowed and hastened to say, "It's perfect. Seriously. I love this. All of this. Wow, Blaine. This is just… Perfect."

Blaine beamed at him and started eating too.

K&B

The next Friday, Kurt moved back into Blaine's apartment. They also went back to the animal shelter to officially adopt the two puppies they had chosen. They called them Margaret and Oliver, or Mollie and Ollie for short.

A few days earlier, Kurt had called the dog walking agency to tell that he would be unavailable for the next four weeks, as he was adopting two puppies of his own, and Sheila had squealed excitedly and asked for all the details. "So I take it you won't be dog-sitting anymore? Just dog-walking after these four weeks are over?"

"Yes. I think I've found my place."

"Aww, you sound so happy. Well, good luck with the pups, and send me a pic once they've settled in, will you?"

"I will."

"Oh, and give me your new address, to put it in the database, please?"

When he told her the address, there was a moment of silence. "That's Devon's address! Are you scamming our agency by dog-sitting for Devon's owner without going through us?"

Kurt's skin prickled uncomfortably. _Uh-oh. Should have seen this coming._

"No, Devon isn't there anymore," Kurt said. "I'm marrying the guy who lives at that apartment. And we got ourselves two new dogs, to replace Devon."

"Devon died? Oh, poor dear!" Sheila commiserated. "So that's why Mr Anderson stopped calling on us. I did wonder. Okay, I'll make a note of that. And sorry for accusing you."

"'S all right," Kurt mumbled, feeling guilty, because he had done exactly what she'd accused him of.

"So Devon's owner fell for you, did he? How did that happen?" Sheila asked.

"Well, we got talking… And we have a lot in common. And ugh, he's so gorgeous, Sheila, and so sweet. I had a crush five minutes in."

Sheila giggled. "And he did, too?"

Kurt scoffed. "I wish. No, it took him a LOT longer. I pined for ages."

Sheila laughed. "Can't have been too long, 'cause you're getting married already and your first time looking after Devon was in… let me check… January 2012. That's only two years ago!"

"Well, it FELT like ages," Kurt amended, and then he laughed too.

"So when's the wedding?" Sheila wanted to know.

"July 14th. At the New York Public Library."

"Oh, wow, nice! Well, congrats to you both, and if you need a dog sitter for your honeymoon, you know who to call!"

"We do. Thank you, Sheila!"

K&B

Mollie and Ollie were happy playful pups, and Blaine and Kurt loved them beyond measure, even though they ruined more than a few shoes and pieces of clothing.

Kurt had to keep telling Blaine not to laugh when Mollie playfully bit his hand or Ollie tugged at his jeans. "Don't encourage them, Blaine! People and their clothes are NOT acceptable chew and tug toys. We BOUGHT them toys, give them those!"

Kurt and Blaine drove to Ohio to visit their family at Easter, and both Pam and Carole cooed over the pups, who took to them instantly.

Blaine was jumpy around Burt for days, until at last Burt sat him down and told Blaine to stop treating him like a bomb that could go off any minute.

Blaine's face shone when Burt added that he'd accepted him as his son-in-law. "Took you way too long to make your mind up, but I can tell you're making Kurt very happy now. You guys are good together. Just don't screw it up, okay?"

"I won't, Burt," Blaine vowed, taking Kurt's hand in his and squeezing it way too hard.

Kurt laughed and kissed Blaine on the cheek. "Don't stress him out, Dad. I want him to live long enough to actually marry me."

"I'm not!" Burt protested. "I just welcomed him to the family!"

Carole patted Burt on the arm. "Aww, that's nice, honey. Now can we get back to the wedding planning? Kurt was just saying he'd like you wear your black suit with the blue tie."

Pam was equally eager to discuss the wedding plans, and offered to look after Ollie and Mollie while Kurt and Blaine would be going on their honeymoon.

Slightly less welcome was her news about Cooper. "I told Cooper that you were getting married, and he's very disappointed he's not the best man. He said he's writing a speech anyway, 'cause nobody else knows you well enough to give a decent best man's speech."

Blaine blanched, and Kurt looked at him in alarm.

Pam laughed. "Oh, honey bee, it will be okay. Your brother loves you."

Blaine huffed, muttered something under his breath and changed the subject.

When they were in bed that evening, Kurt asked, "Are you really worried about Cooper's speech? How bad can it be?"

Blaine let out a deep sigh. "Let me just say that Coop lives to embarrass and belittle me. That's his favourite pastime."

Kurt rubbed soothing circles on his back. "If it gets too bad, I'll find a way to distract everyone. Did you know that I can sneeze about twenty times in a row?"

Blaine huffed out a laugh. "No, I didn't. That's good to know."

He sighed again. "Maybe I'm overreacting anyway. I really hope I am."

K&B

In May, Kurt graduated with two degrees: one in fashion design and one in graphic design.

As Blaine had predicted, R/GA hadn't even waited until Kurt's actual graduation to offer him a job as a junior designer.

"I've no doubt that you'll be a senior designer in five years max," Ellie had told him. "You're just that good. The work you've done so far has been a hit with our clients, and several of them have requested you as the main designer for their next campaigns. So… Will you stay with us?"

Kurt had signed the contract right then and there.

Now, at the ceremony, he was talking to Professor Scher, who'd given him a big hug and told him she'd miss him in her classes. She whooped in celebration when he told her about scoring a job at R/GA. "Now you're glad you took that minor in graphic design, aren't you?"

"I am," Kurt agreed. "I'm sure my fashion design degree will come in handy too, though."

Professor Scher smiled at him. "Oh, I've no doubt."

She lowered her voice and whispered, "Are you designing the tuxes for the wedding?"

Kurt nodded and grinned. "Yes, I've designed them, and I'm sewing them, too. Blaine's outfit is already done, bowtie and all, and now I'm working on mine."

He saw Blaine look at him from across the room and sent him a smile.

"I told him to stay away from you at the ceremony," Professor Scher continued in an undertone. "The whole board of governors is here today, and he's way too obvious around you. You're graduating today, but still. I don't want Kay Unger to suspect anything, and sack Blaine over it."

Kurt bit his lip.

"Go say goodbye to your friends and then go home to celebrate," Professor Scher advised. "I'll send your man after you. And I'll see you at the wedding. Congrats on your job!"

Kurt beamed. "Thank you, Professor."

He moved on to Maizie, who'd come to the ceremony with her parents and her big sister. It made him miss Burt and Carole, who had decided to stay at home. "We'll be travelling to New York already for your wedding. I can't go hopping on a plane every two months, I've got a business to run!"

Kurt understood that, but it stung a little anyway. Instead of his parents, he'd brought along Rachel, who was now chatting with Blaine. They'd met a few days after the proposal, when Kurt really couldn't keep the news to himself anymore and needed to squeal about it to Rachel and Mercedes. They'd both been very surprised, obviously, and miffed that Kurt had never said anything about Blaine before.

Rachel had insisted on meeting Blaine for brunch that Sunday. Kurt had been a bit apprehensive about it. He really wanted them to like each other, and what if they didn't? But he needn't have worried. Rachel and Blaine clicked from the very first moment and were soon chatting away a mile a minute. The Sunday brunch had become a staple of their lives, and Rachel and Blaine were now fast friends.

Kurt tore his eyes away from Rachel and Blaine and moved in to hug Maizie and her sister, and shake her parents' hands.

Then he went to the group that Elliott and Neil were standing in, and got pats on the back from everyone when he mentioned he already had a job lined up.

Elliott had scored a job at Elle Magazine, where he'd interned, but the others had had no luck so far in their job search.

"I guess I'll stick with dog walking for the time being," Neil said glumly, and Steve mentioned moving back in with his parents.

Kurt said his goodbyes to everyone and then slipped away home, where Mollie and Ollie greeted him with enthusiastic licks and wagging tails. "Time for your walk, sweeties?"

K&B

Two weeks later, he grinned when his phone rang and he saw that it was Elliott calling. "Hey Elliott! How's Elle Magazine treating you?"

"Oh, great! I really love it there. We did a photo shoot with Meryl Streep the other day, can you believe it? She was so nice, too."

"That's amazing!" Kurt said. "I'm working on an ad campaign for Nike at the moment, and it's all in black and white. Very classy."

"Nice! Hey, Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I got something in the mail today, and I didn't really know what to make of it."

Kurt's grin grew wider. "Oh?"

"It's a wedding invitation."

"Uh-huh."

"To YOUR wedding!"

"Right."

"And it says you're getting married to Professor Anderson. Seriously, what gives, man? Is this payback for that April Fools prank?"

Kurt laughed. "I guess you'll just have to turn up and see."

"What?" Elliott spluttered. "Not cool, man!"

"Suit yourself," Kurt told him. "You don't have to come. If you're too chicken, you can stay at home and wonder for the rest of your life what that invitation was all about. If you come, though, make sure you're dressed up. The dress code is black tie."

"What? Kurt! Have you planned some kind of candid camera thing?"

"You'll see. Bye, Elliott!"

He ended the call, still with a huge grin on his face.

Blaine, who was sitting on the sofa next to him, shook his head, chuckling. "You have the poor guy thinking you're going to do something awful to him that makes him look like an idiot and put it on YouTube."

Kurt shrugged. "I can't help it that he's paranoid because he's got a bad conscience."

Just then, his phone chimed with a text message.

 **From: Elliott**

 _I just got a text from Neil that he got a wedding invitation too. Seriously, Kurt, what is going on?_

Kurt giggled and put his phone on the coffee table without texting back.

A hand crept to his side and started tickling him.

"No, no, not there," Kurt implored, but by then, Blaine had pinned him down and was torturing all of Kurt's sensitive spots.

"Stop! Please stop!" Kurt begged Blaine, tears of mirth in his eyes.

"Admit it, you're totally enjoying putting the wind up Elliott!"

Kurt let out a shout of laughter, and then shrieked, "Yes, yes, I am! Happy now?"

Blaine stopped tickling him and sat back on his haunches.

"You're evil!" Kurt complained.

"So are you, beautiful, to scare your friend this way."

Kurt grinned at Blaine. "I can't WAIT to see his face. It's gonna be priceless!"

K&B

The night before the actual wedding, Kurt met Cooper at the rehearsal dinner.

At first, Kurt stared, because wow, how had Blaine never mentioned that his brother was the most handsome man in all of North-America? But then Cooper opened his mouth, and admiration quickly turned into irritation. What a windbag!

Cooper didn't stop talking all evening, turning every possible subject into a soliloquy about himself. Even when he gave a speech that was supposed to be about Blaine, it turned out to be a comparison in which Cooper always came out on top.

By the time the dessert was served, Kurt was sick of Cooper's voice, and whispered into Blaine's ear, "Okay, I get it now. Your brother is insufferable. Ugh. Can we duct-tape his mouth shut tomorrow?"

Blaine, who'd just taken a sip of champagne, snorted it out again through his nose from laughing so hard. It took a full five minutes for him to compose himself again, and then he whispered, "I wish. Thanks for the laugh, beautiful, I needed that."

That night, Kurt slept at the loft again for one last time. Rachel and Jesse hadn't been able to attend the rehearsal dinner because they were both starring in a revival of _My Fair Lady_ , but they would be there for the actual wedding.

Kurt told them all about Blaine's brother, and asked them to keep Cooper away from Blaine and from any and all microphones during the wedding. "Please. I don't want him to ruin our day. I'm sure the two of you can keep him… busy."

Jesse and Rachel looked at each other, and then turned to Kurt.

"On one condition," Jesse began, and Rachel added, "That you plan our wedding for us."

Rachel held out her left hand, and yes, a big diamond was sparkling there.

Kurt's mouth fell open. Then, he grabbed Rachel's hands and they both started jumping up and down, squealing so loud that Jesse clapped his hands over his ears and swore.

Kurt inspected the ring, and nodded approvingly. "It suits you. Now, tell me, how did it happen? Oh, and congrats to you both! This is AMAZING!"

Rachel's great news and the subsequent talk of dresses and venues and other details kept Kurt from stressing about his own wedding, and when he woke up, his mouth stretched into a wide smile of its own accord.

Humming _Get Me to the Church On Time_ , he got up and made breakfast for all three of them. By the time the eggs and Rachel's vegan sausages and faux bacon were in the pan, the humming had turned into singing, and once the smell of the cooked breakfast spread, Rachel and Jesse appeared in the kitchen and chimed in too.

"Not bad," said Jesse as Kurt handed him a plate and silverware. "Not bad at all. You'd make a decent Alfred P. Doolittle."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the meagre praise. "Thank you."

K&B

Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes met up with Burt and Carole in their hotel room in the afternoon, and Kurt helped with the women's hair and make-up before doing his own hair and putting his tux on.

He'd chosen blue and burgundy for the wedding theme. The invitations, the decorations, even the cake were in those colours, and the tuxes he made were, too.

Kurt's outfit was deep blue, and the lapels of the jacket as well as his bow tie were made of a material with metallic thread in it, which shimmered in the light.

Blaine's jacket was made of a rich patterned burgundy velvet, that Kurt had paired with black lapels, black pants and a black bow tie. Kurt couldn't wait to see Blaine in it.

They'd decided that Kurt would be the one walking down the aisle, with his dad, so when they reached the venue, the women squeezed his hands, kissed his cheek and went inside, leaving Burt and Kurt alone on the steps.

The photographer they'd hired for the occasion made Kurt and his father pose for a few pictures and then hurried inside. Kurt watched him go, and his stomach turned into knots with sudden nerves.

Burt cleared his throat. "Well… This is it, son. Last chance to run if you wanna."

That startled a laugh out of Kurt. "Dad!"

Burt shrugged. "You looked so pinched there for a second, I thought maybe you were having second thoughts."

"Never. Blaine and I are forever."

Burt nodded and patted Kurt on the back. "All right, then. Time to go in and tell that to Blaine."

Kurt exhaled shakily. "Okay. Let's do this."

When he entered the Astor Hall on his father's arm, he spared only one look for Elliott's gobsmacked face, and then looked straight ahead, where Blaine was waiting for him with so much love in his eyes that it made Kurt feel like he'd just swallowed the sun.

Kurt put his hands in Blaine's, looked into his eyes, and everything else just fell away as they were in their own bubble.

Kurt didn't hear a word of Blaine's vows, and had to be gently reminded to say his own. When it was time for the rings, he held out the wrong hand for Blaine to put the ring on, but Blaine just tickled the hand for a second and reached for the other so fluidly that Kurt was pretty sure no-one else noticed his mistake.

And then, finally, it was time to kiss, and Kurt trembled in Blaine's arms and shed a tear or two.

Trent handed Kurt a handkerchief, and smiled when Kurt hiccupped, "They're… h-happy tears."

As soon as the ceremony was over, the photographer whisked Kurt and Blaine away for a photoshoot, first outside, on the steps, and then in all sorts of beautiful spots at the library. He clicked away happily while Kurt hugged Blaine from behind and wound his arms around Blaine's middle, while Blaine kissed Kurt on the mouth, on the cheek, behind the ear, while Kurt dipped Blaine playfully and then Blaine picked Kurt up bridal style.

"This is great, guys! Keep it up!" said the photographer, so they tried out some more poses: Blaine wrapping himself around Kurt and kissing his forehead, Blaine grabbing Kurt's tie and tugging him closer, the both of them running away and then towards the photographer, standing a few feet apart from each other and leaning in for a kiss.

Then it was time for their big entrance as a couple, and they did so to loud applause.

For their first dance, Kurt had picked another Céline Dion song, _J'attendais_ , and he happily let her inimitable voice wash over him as he danced with his husband.

Burt had agreed to give the welcome speech, and he kept it short and sweet, saying he was hungry, which led to laughter and applause.

Kurt realised that he was hungry too, and as soon as the waiters served the first course, he tucked in. In between the different courses, Kurt and Blaine went to talk to the family and friends they'd invited. Kurt saw to his relief that Rachel and Jesse kept their word and monopolised Cooper to the point where he forgot all about giving a speech.

When they reached the table where Kurt's college friends were sitting, Elliott breathed, "Dude!"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You actually got married."

"Yes."

"How…? When…?"

Maizie interrupted Elliott's bumbling. "I bet they got together after that dance they shared. For Kurt's 21st birthday, remember? Or was it before that, Kurt?"

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other and shook their heads, smiling.

"I bet you're glad Santana dared you to dance with Professor Anderson," Maizie beamed.

Kurt inclined his head. "I am."

"Well, congratulations to you both," said Maizie. "I'm so glad it all worked out."

"Yeah, congrats," said Neil.

Elliott nodded, still speechless, and Kurt giggled, tugging Blaine to the next table.

Blaine chuckled, raised their entwined hands and kissed them. "You're a minx."

"You love it," Kurt countered.

"I do," Blaine admitted. "I love you."

"I love you too. For as long as we both shall live."

"Forever?"

"Forever."


	23. Epilogue

Author's Note:

So this is what I picture Kurt and Blaine's lives are like after they get married. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you for coming along with me on this adventure! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who sends me feedback - you're wonderful and you spur me on to keep writing :-)

Epilogue

A few months after the wedding, Kurt received a package in the mail. There was no return address, and the stamps on the envelope looked decidedly foreign.

"Blaine? Did you order me something?" Kurt asked, but Blaine frowned and shook his head, as puzzled as Kurt was.

The envelope proved to hold a dog collar in buttery soft leather, beautifully decorated, and a letter in a slanted handwriting Kurt didn't recognise and had a hard time deciphering.

"Come and help me read this!" Kurt told Blaine, and together, they made sense of the letter. It said:

" _Dear Kurt,_

 _When a Warbler friend of mine told me about attending your wedding, I was surprised, but very pleased. You did it! You broke the curse, and it didn't even take you two years. Well done!_

 _I still don't think Blaine deserves you. I suppose he loves you now, seeing as he married you and all, but I'm sure he's still as self-absorbed as ever._

 _That's why I'm sending you a special wedding gift. This dog collar is enchanted, and if you put it around Blaine's neck, he'll immediately turn into a dog until you take the collar off again. Use it whenever he's being an obtuse jackass. That should improve his behaviour at once. If it doesn't, you can always call on me for something stronger. I'll be only too happy to help._

 _The best of luck to you both, and I wish you a long and happy life together._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Alexei Zakharov_ "

Blaine eyed the collar with distrust, his nostrils flaring. "Well… The cheek of that guy! What are we going to do with this? Destroy it?"

Kurt laughed. "No. No, of course not. It's actually a very thoughtful gift. Much more so than those ugly candlesticks your aunt Belinda gave us."

Blaine wrinkled his nose, conceding the point. Belinda was his father's sister, and at Kurt and Blaine's wedding, she'd loudly complained to Pam about Blaine's choice of life partner. "Yes, I know he's gay, but did he have to pick someone that obvious? And it's only a child, too. The kid can't be a day over eighteen! Why didn't Blaine go for someone his own age? I guess it's flattering when a pretty young thing bats their eyes at you, but why on earth would you marry them? I hope you insisted on this _Kurt_ signing a prenup. I can't imagine they'd stay together for longer than a year or two, and then this gold-digger will be off with Blaine's millions."

Blaine's hold on Kurt had tightened a little, and he'd whispered into Kurt's ear, "Are you planning on abandoning me in two years' time?"

Kurt had giggled. "Not a chance! You're stuck with me forever now, old man!"

Blaine smiled, remembering that moment and how happy he'd felt at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Kurt. "All right then, we'll keep it. But what will we do with it?"

Kurt's eyes danced with mirth. "Oh, I'm sure it will come in handy."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "What are you planning, you minx?"

Kurt patted him on the arm. "Don't fret. We'll use it when you're feeling stressed and need to relax. Being a dog will do that for you."

"True," said Blaine. "Hey, I wonder…"

Blaine took the collar and put it around Kurt's neck, and yes, the enchantment worked on Kurt, too. He instantly turned into a dog. White and fluffy and beautiful, and still with the most gorgeous blue eyes Blaine had ever seen.

Ollie and Mollie, who had been dozing in front of the fireplace, were instantly wide awake, and came charging towards the new dog in the room. When they recognised Kurt's scent, though, their angry barks turned into excited yipping, and they jumped onto Kurt and licked him.

Laughing, Blaine took the collar off again, and then his throat went dry and his pupils widened, because Kurt was naked now.

Kurt smirked. "Like what you see? Your turn now, honey!"

Moments later, they were both human again, naked as the day they were born, and lying on the sofa with their legs tangled, kissing fiercely, their hands petting everywhere they could reach.

Mollie whined and jumped onto the sofa too, prompting Kurt to sit up and reprimand her. She jumped off again and slunk away with her tail between her legs.

"Bedroom?" Blaine suggested.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and tugged him up. "Bedroom!"

K&B

Kurt stayed at R/GA for nearly ten years, and he ended up as a senior designer, leading the team and attracting plenty of prestigious clients with his visionary designs.

He quit as R/GA's head designer when Paula Scher retired at Parsons and suggested to the board of governors that Kurt Hummel could take over her job, yes, that Kurt Hummel who won a design contest while he was a student here.

Kurt had already done quite a few guest lectures, both in Blaine's classes and in Paula's, and he'd found that he loved teaching and was quite good at it too, if the packed classrooms and auditoriums whenever he taught were any indication. So when the board of governors officially reached out to him, he said yes.

A big factor in this decision was that he and Blaine had adopted a baby the year before, and Kurt wanted to spend more time with his son. He loved his job at R/GA, yes, but he hated coming home every work day to find that little Matthew was already tucked in for the night and he'd missed the whole night-time ritual, and… well, everything. He wanted to enjoy his growing family, and Blaine had proved over the past year that a teaching schedule was easier to combine with childcare.

Kurt told his colleagues at R/GA that he could still freelance for them every now and then, and would be glad to do so. When they threw him a going-away party, he enjoyed himself so much that he didn't even scowl at Sebastian when he came to talk to him and Blaine.

"So you're deserting us to follow Professor Cute Ass here?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not following anyone. I needed a new challenge after working here for ten years, and becoming the next Professor Cute Ass seemed like it would suit me."

Blaine chuckled, and Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. "You do have a cute ass, I'll give you that."

Sebastian gave Kurt a thorough once-over, lingering on his legs and his arms and his crotch. "Among other things. Your students will be crushing on you so hard."

Kurt felt Blaine stiffen next to him, and ran his thumb over Blaine's hand soothingly. "They can look all they like, at Blaine and at me, but they'll never have either of us, 'cause we're a boring old married couple."

Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't know if boring is the world I'd use. Paula told me you like to get it on in Blaine's office. That's pretty hot!"

Kurt felt heat flooding his cheeks. He might have known Paula would have noticed their sexcapades on campus. She always saw and knew EVERYTHING.

Sebastian clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't go shy on me, killer! I'm not shaming you at all! Roleplay and public sex are turn-ons for me too."

Kurt wanted to sink through the floor in shame, but Blaine grinned and wrapped his arm around Kurt, tugging him closer and whispering, "Remember that time you made me wear a vibrating butt plug all morning and then came to my office at lunch time and fucked me over my desk?"

That reminder didn't help with the blushing, but it made Kurt grin right back. "Good times."

"I have so many more things I want to try out with you," Blaine whispered on, and Kurt took a shuddering breath, closed his eyes and shivered in delight as Blaine's hot breath washed over his ear, detailing his fantasies.

When Kurt opened his eyes again, Sebastian was long gone, now chatting up someone at the other side of the room, and Blaine smiled at him knowingly. "Let's go say goodbye to Joanne and Ellie and Sandra, and then we can get out of here."

K&B

They stayed firm friends with Trent and Ashton, and were godfathers to their daughter Pippa, who was about four years older than Matthew.

Pippa had been just as excited as the grown-ups when Matthew arrived, and was endlessly fascinated by anything the baby did. She was very gentle and caring towards him, too, and preferred helping Kurt and Blaine with Matthew to playing with her dolls.

When neither Kurt nor Blaine could make their son eat his vegetable puree, Pippa managed to coax Matthew into trying it by eating a spoonful herself and then offering the baby one, all the while chattering at him excitedly. The bowl was empty in five minutes' time, and though Matthew had only eaten half of it, that was much better than him refusing the spoon or spitting everything right out again.

Pippa was like a big sister to Matthew, or at the very least a cousin. Kurt and Blaine had moved into an apartment right opposite Trent and Ashton's, and from the moment Pippa was born, they had babysat their goddaughter regularly, several days a week, to the point where she considered their home part of hers, and knocked on their door to be let in whenever she well pleased.

Ollie and Mollie considered her part of the family, licking her enthusiastically each time she came over and sharing her snacks to make sure that unlike Papa Ashton, Pippa would never be allergic to dogs.

The dogs loved Matthew too, and comforted him when he cried by offering licks and toys and cuddles. Matthew loved them right back. His first ever smile – well, that Blaine and Kurt saw, anyway – flashed onto his face when Mollie offered him the blankie he'd just dropped. When he started crawling, he would crawl off his play mat to go cuddle up to the dogs on their dog bed and take a nap between them.

Kurt had trained Mollie and Ollie to get used to babies and their touch and movement when Pippa was born, so by the time Matthew arrived, his tugging their ear or poking them didn't faze them at all anymore.

Still, they taught Matthew to be gentle with the dogs, as soon as he started understanding such things. There again, Pippa was a big help, showing Matthew how to pet them softly, and telling him not to scare them by screaming at the top of his lungs.

K&B

Once he'd made the switch to teaching, Kurt found that spending more time with Matthew, and Pippa as well, inspired him to design a children's clothing line. He used his connections to sell the designs for the whole line to Gucci Kids, complete with a kick-ass advertising campaign he'd also created himself, with Matthew and Pippa as two of the models. When the campaign posters were being printed, he requested a copy of each one featuring Matthew and Pippa, and hung them in the hallway of their apartment, even though it made Pippa roll her eyes every time she came over.

The line did really well, and Kurt took Gucci up on the offer to become one of their regular designers. He was thrilled that his fashion design degree was coming in handy after all, and he was enjoying designing clothes again. Of course, it didn't hurt that Gucci paid him really well, too, money that he invested in the interior decoration of their home and in family vacations.

Pippa and Matthew remained his favourite models, and after a while Pippa started making suggestions. "Uncle Kurt, can you make me cool jeans with butterflies and ladybirds on them, please? And I want shiny boots with golden bees and stars. Pretty please?"

Kurt's branching out inspired Blaine to chase his dreams, too. In Blaine's case, that was writing music. He had entire portfolios of songs he'd written, but he'd never done anything with them. Then, one day, at a Broadway fundraiser Rachel had taken Blaine to, they talked to some friends of hers, Hamish and Josh, who were writing and composing a new musical, and lamenting that they were having trouble with the songs. "The music just doesn't fit the lyrics. Or the other way round. And we've been tinkering at it for so long that we're both sick of the songs. But this story is so good! If we could get the music right, it would be an instant hit, for sure."

"Well, maybe we can help you out?" Rachel suggested.

They met up at a coffee shop a few days later to work on the songs. Blaine knew straightaway what needed fixing, and was quick to point it out. In the end, he teamed up with Hamish and Josh to compose the musical. They ended up winning a Tony for it, and got an offer to turn it into a movie.

Blaine continued working with Hamish and Josh on new musicals, and even came up with a few story ideas himself. He preferred to stay in the background, though. Even when they won the Tony, he'd left it to the other two to speech when they went up the dais to accept the award.

Kurt and Blaine were both very supportive of each other's creative endeavours, and never minded picking up the slack when the other had a looming deadline and needed to work until late at night.

Still, they were never happier than when they had a lazy day to spend with their family and friends, taking the dogs and the children to the park and to the zoo, baking cookies with Pippa, singing nursery rhymes to Matthew, and then in the evening, any time they found a babysitter, going out for dinner and a show.

K&B

Pam had moved to New York City just after Matthew's birth, and very much enjoyed being a grandma, even when the baby spit up on her or wouldn't stop crying until she handed him back to Blaine or Kurt.

When Matthew was about five, Burt retired, sold his business and told Kurt and Blaine that he and Carole were looking to relocate to live closer to their grandson, and where would Kurt advise they move to? Blaine graciously offered his in-laws the use of his former apartment, and soon, the Friday night dinners were re-instated, including Pam, Trent, Ashton and Pippa, and often Rachel and Jesse as well.

Rachel had ended up marrying Jesse, and they were both big Broadway stars, turning every musical they starred in into an instant success. They had decided not to have children, preferring to focus on their careers.

"After all, I've got Matthew," Rachel told Kurt. She was Matthew's godmother, and took him on outings about once a month. "He's amazing, and I love spending time with him, but I'm also very thankful that I can hand him back to you when he gets whiny. I'm just… not cut out to be a parent, I think."

Kurt laughed at that. "Sometimes, I think that too. Blaine is so great with Matthew, so patient, so sweet. And then there's me, grumpy as anything when I'm woken in the middle of the night or disturbed while I'm designing. I'm far from an ideal parent. But I do my best. That's all anyone can do, right?"

Rachel cocked her head to the side. "So… Are you saying I should try and have a baby anyway?"

"No, not at all!" Kurt said. "Please don't ever feel pressured to have a child because it seems like the thing to do. Becoming a parent needs to be a "Hell, YES!" decision, not an "I guess…" decision. It's too important for that."

Rachel smiled. "True. Any time my dads visit and start nagging about grandchildren, I can send them to you guys to cuddle Matthew, right?"

"Always," Kurt promised, and Blaine nodded solemnly.

So the years went by, bringing ups and downs, and ever deepening Blaine and Kurt's love for each other and their family. They saw their goddaughter and son grow up, they celebrated many personal and professional successes, and like in any storybook, they lived happily ever after.

THE END

End note:

Yes, I know you're going to call me a terrible tease for just hinting at the sex they're having and not describing it in full. I've never been a smut writer, I'm afraid. Writing scenes like that terrifies me. I may write the office sex scene that Blaine hints at as a one-shot one day. Maybe. If I can work up the courage. I'm no caramelcoffeeaddict and I never will be… My domain is fluff, and you certainly got enough of that to keep you going for a while :-)

By the way, the type of dog Kurt turns into is a Samoyed.


End file.
